A technical officer from Khammam, stationed with the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir, has reportedly fallen prey to a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme, resulting in a loss of ₹55 lakh. The officer filed a complaint detailing a con that spanned several months, beginning with an unsolicited WhatsApp message in January.
In the complaint, police revealed that the officer was initially contacted by individuals promising significant returns on investments in initial public offerings (IPOs). Despite initially disregarding the messages, the officer eventually engaged with them in February, seeking further details about the investment opportunity. This led to his addition to a WhatsApp group labeled “BVIP29 BN Rathi Internal Group.”
In his quest for legitimacy, the officer conducted an online search and found a genuine company, BN Rathi Securities Ltd., based in Hyderabad. After verifying the company’s existence by calling the listed contact numbers, he was persuaded of the group’s authenticity and began participating actively.
The group’s administrator, identified as Hersh Tolani, provided investment guidance and instructed the officer to download a trading application to manage his transactions. Following Tolani’s advice, the officer commenced investing on March 10.
Troubling signs surfaced on May 5 when Tolani requested an additional transfer of ₹3.8 lakh. When the officer proposed to deduct the funds directly from his purported account with BN Rathi, he was met with persistent demands for a manual transfer, prompting him to become suspicious. Upon reaching out to the actual company, the officer learned that BN Rathi Securities had no affiliation with any WhatsApp investment groups and that fraudsters were exploiting the company’s name.
Following this revelation, the officer promptly reported the incident. Consequently, both the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS) in Khammam registered a case under applicable sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
In light of this incident, authorities have advised the public to exercise caution and thoroughly verify the credibility of any investment opportunities, particularly those communicated through social media or messaging platforms.
