Based on a complaint, the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police have registered a case against nine people, including administrators of a WhatsApp group identified as Abhinav Rajput, Vikrant Thakur, Nilam Agarwal, and one Kavya, an official said.
The complainant, a resident of Vasai who is a deputy manager of a cooperative bank's branch in Mumbai, alleged that he was added to multiple WhatsApp groups related to investment between April and June 2024, where the accused, posing as executives of reputed investment firms, convinced him to trade in stocks, and sent him links to download mobile applications named 'DRWAI' and 'IIFL'.
The official said that the complainant was shown a fake SEBI registration certificate, following which he invested Rs 46.41 lakh through various bank transactions over two months.
He said the fraud came to light when the complainant saw a profit of over Rs 8.12 crore reflected on the apps, but was unable to withdraw his funds.
When he contacted the accused, they demanded an additional 10 per cent as 'tax' to release the money, and on realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the police.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, and a probe is underway, the official added.
