Mumbai Police recover Rs 1 crore of two investors duped by cyber criminals

The cyber cell of Mumbai Police has succeeded in recovering more than Rs 1 crore of two city residents who fell victim to online investment frauds, an official said on Friday.

Cyber cell of Mumbai Police acted swiftly in the two separate cases after complaints were registered on Thursday, and stopped a total of Rs 1.02 crore from being transferred into the accounts of unidentified criminals by contacting bank officials, he said.

In both cases, the complainants were contacted by fraudsters who offered them high returns on investment in the stock market.

While one of the complainants deposited Rs 1.80 crore through online transactions as instructed by the fraudsters, the other ended up transferring Rs 2.29 crore.

After realising that they had been cheated, they immediately contacted cyber cell helpline `1930` which helped police recover their money at least partially, the official said, adding that probe was underway to identify and nab the culprits.

People should not fall prey to dubious offers of stock market investment, and in case of cheating, one should contact the cyber cell helpline without losing time, he said.

In another case, the police in Maharashtra`s Thane district have registered a case against a couple and their son for allegedly cheating a builder of nearly Rs 42 lakh over the sale of land, an official said on Thursday, reported PTI.

In his complaint, the 27-year-old builder, who lives in the Bhiwandi area, said the accused and he had signed an agreement a few months ago towards the sale of more than 15 acres of land in the district, reported PTI.

The builder alleged that he and his family paid Rs 42 lakh to the accused in connection with the deal but the accused neither got the land transferred nor refunded the money, reported PTI.

While the accused sold the land to others, they abused and threatened to harm the builder whenever he sought a refund, the official said citing the complaint, reported PTI.

Acting on a complaint by the builder, the Shanti Nagar police in Bhiwandi registered a case against the couple and their son on Tuesday, the official added.

(With inputs from PTI)