Udupi, Karnataka – In a major cyber fraud revelation, Udupi district police have unearthed two large-scale online trading scams, resulting in a combined loss of Rs1.76 crore to local residents. The Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station has arrested two suspects, while investigations are ongoing to track the masterminds of both scams.
Tirtharaj Shenoy (51), a resident of Shivalli village, was defrauded of Rs44 lakh between December 19, 2024, and January 7, 2025, after being added to two fake Telegram groups — “Capital Gains Crew” and “Fidelity Institutional Partners F-101”. A scammer using the alias Adi Nihal lured Shenoy into investing in a bogus stock trading platform promising guaranteed high returns.
Shenoy transferred money from both his and his mother’s accounts to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. When returns didn’t materialize, he filed a complaint with the Udupi CEN police.
Acting swiftly, a special team led by Inspector Ramachandra Nayak, under the guidance of SP Hariram Shankar, arrested Shohaib Ahmad (28) and Mudassir Ahmad (40) from Mysuru. Police recovered ₹2 lakh in cash and mobile phones used in the scam. A search is ongoing for other involved individuals.
In another case, Henry D’Souza (69) fell victim to a similar fraud after being approached via a Facebook ad on July 19, 2025. The scammer, posing as a woman named Ankita Ghosh, added him to a WhatsApp group promoting fake investment schemes.
Between July 22 and September 1, 2025, D’Souza transferred Rs1.32 crore into various accounts, hoping for profits that never came. A formal complaint was registered on September 4, and the CEN team is now tracing the digital footprint of the accused.
