In a joint operation by Uttarakhand’s Special Task Force (STF) and cyber police, two men from Jaipur were arrested for allegedly defrauding a Nainital man of Rs 90 lakh under the guise of offering short-term attractive returns on online stock trading investments.
STF SSP Navneet Singh reported that the case stemmed from a complaint filed in September of the previous year. The victim, from Rudrapur, had come across an advertisement on Facebook that promised quick returns on online trading. After contacting the number provided, he was encouraged to invest in a fraudulent trading platform. Initially, the victim received returns as promised, which led him to invest further.
However, the returns soon ceased, and when the victim reached out for clarification, he was persuaded to invest even more. Ultimately, he invested a total of Rs 90 lakh. Once the accused cut off all communication, the victim realized he had been scammed.
During the investigation, digital evidence was gathered by examining the bank account transactions and phone numbers involved in the crime. The suspects, Santosh Kumar Meena and Neeraj Kumar Meena, were traced and arrested in Jaipur on Wednesday. Further investigation revealed that multiple transactions, amounting to lakhs, had occurred over the past few months.
Authorities continue to probe the case, seeking to identify others involved in the fraud.
