Coimbatore man loses Rs 10.95 lakh to online fraudsters

COIMBATORE: A 57-year-old Coimbatore man has lost Rs 10.95 lakh to online fraudsters, who promised high returns in a short span of time.

P Gopalakrishnan, 57, of Maniyakaranpalayam near Ganapathy, who is working in a textile marketing company, received a message on his WhatsApp number from one Savani Gupta in January that offered him a part time job.

He was informed that he could click online links to watch advertisements and get paid for it. A few days later, he got a few thousand rupees in his account after he submitted his PAN and bank account details.

A message he received after getting the money informed him that he can multiply the money by investing it with them. Lured by high returns he invested the money and got returns. As he gained confidence, he started investing in lakhs. He did not get any returns after that. Instead, the scamsters encouraged him to invest more to release the money.

He invested a total of Rs 10, 95, 685 between January and April.

He approached the cyber crime police station in the city and lodged a complaint. The police registered a case under the sections of the IT Act. Cyber crime inspector P A Arun conducted an inquiry.