Online fraudsters cheat retired IAF sergeant of Rs 41.34 lakh

COIMBATORE: Online fraudsters have cheated a retired Indian Air Force sergeant in Coimbatore of Rs 41.34 lakh.
In his complaint to the Coimbatore city cybercrime police, Varghese Arockiyam, 64, of Kurinji Nagar stated that he had watched a video of Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani talking about making lots of money through online trading.But he was not aware that it was a deepfake video. After watching the video, Varghese planned to invest huge amounts in online trading.
Varghese received a WhatsApp message on April 25, 2024, from strangers who asked him to invest money in online trading. The strangers promised him a huge profit for every investment. Believing their words, Varghese transferred Rs 41,34,112 to the bank accounts of the strangers on multiple occasions from April 25 to May 24, 2024.
The strangers sent an online link to his WhatsApp number that showed huge profits. But the retired IAF officer was not able to withdraw the amount. He came to know that he was cheated by the online fraudsters.
When he demanded that they return the amount, the fraudsters told them that they could return it only if he invested huge amounts with them.
Based on his complaint, the police registered a case. The police sent requests to various banks to freeze the amounts in the fraudsters’ bank accounts.