Fake Investment App, Hacked WhatsApp Among Cyber Frauds Costing Bhopal Residents ₹6.5 Lakh

Bhopal residents have been victims of various cyber frauds amounting to over ₹6.5 lakh. In one incident, a 42-year-old lab technician lost Rs 3.5 lakh after responding to a misleading Facebook advertisement offering high returns from stock market investments. The fraudsters tricked the victim into downloading a fake app promising profits, and once the victim invested a total of Rs 3.5 lakh, the app showed a profit of Rs 2.82 lakh.

However, when the victim attempted to withdraw his funds, the fraudsters demanded additional deposits, at which point the victim realized he had been cheated and reported the incident to the police.

Another resident, a 49-year-old private-sector employee, fell prey to a hacked WhatsApp account. The fraudsters pretended to be the victim's friend, claiming that the friend's UPI service was not working and requesting Rs 45,000 through a QR code. The victim subsequently sent another Rs 20,000 before becoming suspicious. His friend later notified him that his phone had been hacked, and the messages were sent by a fraudster.

A 51-year-old woman from Ambedkar Nagar had Rs 1.90 lakh withdrawn from her bank account in a separate fraud case. In the final instance, a 39-year-old man lost Rs 55,000 while searching for a product online. The fraudsters lured the victim with an attractive deal on a fraudulent shopping application.