35 cyber scams sprung up in a day as fraudsters feast online

Bhopal: Despite continuous awareness campaigns by the police administration and voluntary organisations, incidents of cyber fraud continue to rise in the state capital. Within 24 hours, a total of 35 cases were registered across 13 police stations, with cyber criminals duping citizens of more than Rs1.5 crore.Most of the frauds were committed by luring victims with share market investments, job offers, profit schemes, sending malware through links over WhatsApp, and threats of electricity disconnection. Following the launch of the e-Zero FIR system on Dec 25, 2025, the State Cyber Crime Headquarters forwarded hundreds of e-Zero FIRs to police stations across MP for conversion into regular FIRs, resulting in a rise in registered cases.During the past 24 hours, 7 FIRs were received in Bag Sewania, 6 in Ashoka Garden, 5 in Misrod, and 4 in Awadhpuri. 1 complaint each was registered in Aishbagh, Habibganj, Nishatpura, Shahjehanabad, Bairagarh, and Gandhi Nagar. 2 cases each were reported in Kamla Nagar and Piplani, while 3 crimes were registered in Kolar.Man duped on pretext of selling old 1 rupee note Gokul Prasad Chourasia, 76, a resident of Kasturikunj in Bairagarh, allegedly saw an advertisement on Facebook that fraudsters posted stating they would purchase an old 1 rupee note. When Gokul contacted the fraudsters, they agreed to purchase his Re 1 note for Rs8 lakh and siphoned Rs1.14 lakh from him on the pretext of various charges.Fake electricity app fraudPremchand Jain of Narayan Nagar, Bag Sewania, received a call claiming his consumer number was being changed. He was instructed to download an electricity department app and pay Rs12. Immediately, Rs1.13 lakh was debited from his account, and later more money was withdrawn, totalling Rs2.12 lakh. In another case, Nand Kishore Yadav, who received a video call from a person posing as an electricity official. After transferring Rs12 for an ID update, Rs3.66 lakh was withdrawn from his account. Credit card fraudRakesh Kushwaha of Pipliya Pende Khan in Bag Sewania shared card details with a fake credit card officer and lost Rs1.03 lakh after installing an app. Similarly, Rs1.21 lakh was withdrawn from the credit card of Raja Gopal Reddy.Investment scamAt Kamla Nagar police station, Shivam Katiyar was cheated of Rs23 lakh after a woman contacted him on social media and persuaded him to invest in foreign trading schemes through Telegram.