Ex-ship captain loses ₹11 crore in cyber fraud; 1 held

A retired ship captain loses ₹11.16 crore in cyber fraud scheme; police arrest history-sheeter with multiple bank accounts.

A 75-year-old retired ship captain here has lost a staggering ₹11.16 crore over four months in a cyber fraud scheme falsely promising lucrative returns on stock market investments, police said.

A history-sheeter, Kaif Ibrahim Mansuri, has been arrested and police have found 33 debit cards and 12 cheque books of different banks in his possession in connection with the cyber fraud case, an official said on Wednesday.

The victim, who had a keen interest in stock market investments, was lured by fraudsters with promises of hefty returns on investments in stocks.

Initially, the victim saw profits in his online investment account. However, when he attempted to withdraw his earnings, he was told to pay a 20% service tax fee. Realising he had been scammed, the victim lodged a complaint with the South Cyber police station, the official said.

"Between August and November this year the victim was duped of a staggering ₹11.16 crore," the police stated.

During the investigation, authorities found that fraudsters had used multiple bank accounts to siphon off the funds. The victim had made 22 transactions, transferring money to these accounts.

Upon tracking two accounts, the police discovered a withdrawal of ₹6 lakh via cheque by a woman who had provided a PAN card for KYC verification.