A 45-year-old man from Maharashtra`s Thane district was allegedly duped of Rs 37.8 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him to invest in the stock market, police said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.

The complainant, a resident of Kopri, was allegedly added to a group on the Telegram app, where he was offered insider tips to invest in stocks, an official said.

He said that the fraudsters allegedly shared a fake registration certificate in the name of Standard Chartered Securities (India) Ltd., to make the complainant believe that the group was professionally managed, reported PTI.

Unidentified accused allegedly cheated him of Rs 37.8 lakh between August 4 and 25, the official said.

The complainant approached the police after he failed to receive returns on his investments, he said, adding that a case has been registered under the Information Technology Act, reported PTI.

Three held for attempting to sell, purchase land using forged documents in Thane district

In another case, three persons from Gujarat have been arrested for allegedly attempting to sell and purchase land using fabricated documents in the name of a deceased man in Maharashtra`s Thane district, police said, reported PTI.

A team from the Mira Bhayandar Virar Vasai (MBVV) police laid a trap and apprehended the trio, one of them a property agent, at Penkarpada in Mira Road East on September 12, an official said, reported PTI.

A case had been registered based on a complaint from one Manish Dharnidhar Shah, who holds inheritance rights to the land, he said, reported PTI.

“The complainant`s father, late Dharnidhar Khimchand Shah (D K Shah), had purchased the land in 1978. After he died in 1994, the property was transferred to his son and his family. However, the accused allegedly misused the abbreviated name `D.K. Shah` and forged authority letters, special power of attorney and documents to execute a fraudulent sale,” the official said, reported PTI.

Dharmeshbhai Keshavji Shah, a property agent from Bhavnagar, allegedly executed an agreement to sell the land to Surat-based buyers, Vinubhai Popatbhai Ravani and Amritbhai Premjibhai Ramani, using fake papers, he said, reported PTI.

The trio had been absconding for months and were tracked down using technical surveillance, the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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