Click, Con, Gone: Bhopal Residents Lose Nearly ₹16 Crore To Cyber Fraud In Just 8 Months
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The victims of cyber fraud in Bhopal have lost nearly Rs 16 crore in last eight months with over 300 FIRs registered in connection with such cases, exposing the growing challenge posed by online financial crimes. The actual loss may be higher, as the available data does not include cases involving fraud amounts below the earlier threshold of Rs 1 lakh for mandatory FIR…
Bhopal residents have suffered nearly Rs 16 crore in cyber fraud over the past eight months, according to police reports. Over 300 FIRs have been lodged in connection with these cases, with 39 complaints still pending registration. Cybercrime has become a major challenge, with fraudsters targeting people of all ages and employing increasingly sophisticated methods to dupe victims.
The government has lowered the threshold for mandatory FIR registration in cyber financial fraud cases from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25,000 in recent guidelines. Several victims claim that despite reporting fraud and having suspected bank accounts frozen, they have not recovered their funds. Lack of police manpower makes it difficult to conduct raids to apprehend mule bank account holders across the country.
Victims also face difficulties while filing complaints through the cyber helpline, with some finding the process lengthy and confusing. In two separate incidents, victims lost over Rs 5.12 lakh each. In one instance, a man lost Rs 4.16 lakh after receiving OTP messages without sharing any sensitive information. In another case, a private company employee lost Rs 95,445 after opening a fake e-challan link. Police are investigating both cases.
Written by urgent.news from Free Press Journal's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
