PGI doctor lured with high profits, duped of over Rs 1cr

Times News NetworkChandigarh: A PGI doctor was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.1 crore in a cyber fraud involving a fake online trading platform and WhatsApp groups. Complainant Dr Rakesh Prabhugoud Patil, a 33-year-old doctor working in the neurosurgery department and a resident of Sector 38 C, said he was allegedly lured into a fraudulent investment scheme earlier this year.He was looking for stock market investments through social media in Dec 2025. In Jan 2026, he was added to a WhatsApp group named "Po8-5 Paisa Wealth Horizon", which had around 250 members. The group was allegedly operated by individuals posing as investment advisors, including a coordinator and a team leader, who convinced him to open a trading account on a mobile application named ‘5-P'.The victim initially invested Rs 10,000 through UPI. To gain his confidence, the fraudsters showed fake profits on a mobile app dashboard and persuaded him to invest larger sums in "daily return" schemes and IPO trading plans, claiming returns of up to 5% per day.Over the next two months, the victim transferred a total of Rs 1.1 crore in 25 transactions using various banking methods into multiple accounts.By the end of March, the app displayed a balance of Rs 4.7 crore, including fake profits of over Rs 4.1 crore. However, when the victim requested a withdrawal on March 23, he was asked to deposit an additional Rs 41.5 lakh as "brokerage charges".Despite being suspicious, the victim made the payment after other members in the group — who were part of the scam — claimed they had successfully withdrawn large profits. Later, the fraudsters demanded another Rs 10 lakh, saying it was a "security deposit" allegedly required by the RBI over suspected money laundering.Realising he had been cheated, the victim approached the cyber crime police. Further investigation is on.