Ludhiana: Garment manufacturer loses ₹9 lakh to cyber fraudsters
T he victim claimed that despite tracking one of the accused in Ludhiana and providing his details to the cyber police, no arrests have been made yet
A garment unit owner lost ₹9.4 lakh to cyber fraudsters who lured him into an online product reviewing scheme and later tricked him into investing in cryptocurrency. The victim, Abhishek Jain, 29, a resident of Netaji Nagar, Salem Tabri, claimed that despite tracking one of the accused in Ludhiana and providing his details to the cyber police, no arrests have been made yet.
Jain, who filed a complaint in July 2023, said that after one and a half years of investigation, the cyber crime police finally registered an FIR against Vasudha Devi (Vasudha Collections), Rajiv Ghai (MH Enterprises) and Brijesh Soni (MR Enterprises).
Jain said he received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number offering easy money from home. Upon agreeing, he was added to a Telegram group where he was asked to rate products on an e-commerce site and share screenshots. He initially earned ₹50 per review with his first payment credited after accumulating ₹300.
“As I kept earning, my trust in them grew. They later added me to another group for crypto trading, where I was asked to invest money into their wallet. Initially, I received profits, but gradually, they coaxed me into investing more. Over time, I invested ₹9.4 lakh, expecting a return of ₹12 lakh. However, when I tried to withdraw my funds, they demanded an additional ₹5 lakh to release the payment. That’s when I realised I had been scammed,” Jain said.
Jain, who lost his entire savings along with his father’s, alleged that despite providing police with the address of one of the accused, Rajiv Ghai, in Ludhiana, no action was taken. “I had almost given up hope after months of inaction from the police. I personally tracked one of the accused but still the authorities did nothing. After over a year, they have finally registered an FIR,” he added.
ASI Jinder Lal, who is investigating the case, said an FIR under Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC has been registered against the accused. He added that the police lodged the FIR after investigation.
