Retired mandi employee duped of ₹92.5 lakh in fake stock investment scam

Lucknow: A retired Uttar Pradesh Mandi Parishad employee was allegedly duped of Rs 92.5 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him with promises of high returns from stock market investments, police said.

The victim, Dinesh Kumar Sharma, a resident of Kamta, told police he was added to a WhatsApp group named “Balbir Mentor” after his retirement as a computer operator. The group was allegedly run by a woman identifying herself as Sakshi Sharma, who claimed to be an investment expert based in Kolkata.

Sharma alleged he was persuaded to invest through a mobile application, with assurances of returns of up to 100%. He initially transferred Rs 18.5 lakh but was later told his account required corrections, prompting further payments. Over multiple transactions — Rs 29 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 13 lakh — he was made to deposit funds on various pretexts, including account verification and activation of a “SEBI-linked” account.

Police said despite repeated payments, the victim neither received returns nor a refund. When he pressed for repayment, the accused allegedly stopped responding and switched off their phones.

In his complaint to Chinhat police, Sharma said he exhausted his savings, pension funds and even borrowed from relatives. An FIR has been registered against four accused, including Sakshi Sharma and an individual identified as Balbir.

Inspector Dinesh Chandra Mishra said the financial trail is being examined and bank records have been sought. The probe has been entrusted to SI Manoj Kumar Rao. Police suspect a larger cyber fraud network exploiting investors through social media platforms and fake trading apps.