Sinhagad Road boutique owner duped of Rs 50L

Pune: A 37-year-old boutique owner from Sinhagad Road lodged a complaint with Pune cyber police on Tuesday, alleging that online fraudsters cheated her of Rs 50.27 lakh by promising high returns on investments in online share-trading.According to police, the fraud occurred between Feb and March this year.Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune cyber police said, "The complainant runs a boutique in a mall on Sinhagad Road."In Feb, her phone number was added to a group on a messaging application, where members discussed high returns from share-trading and thanked the group admin for profitable tips. Impressed by the messages, the boutique owner contacted the admin, who shared a link to a mobile trading app. Police said the complainant downloaded the app and initially bought low-value shares. "She was later persuaded to invest in higher-value shares, with the fraudsters offering assistance. They told her to transfer money to four different bank accounts. She eventually transferred a total of Rs 50.27 lakh but later realised she was cheated," a police officer said.