Ludhiana: Haibowal resident loses ₹40 lakh in online scam
Victim Narinder Singh alleged that he faced harassment while trying to get an FIR registered, claiming that he made multiple visits to the cybercrime police station but was repeatedly turned away; it was only after approaching the Ludhiana police commissioner an FIR was finally registered on Thursday, he said
A 45-year-old grocery and spices distributor from Raghbir Park, Haibowal, lost over ₹40 lakh to online scamsters who lured him into investing in a fake commission-based scheme. Half of the amount he lost was borrowed from his friends and family. The police have registered an FIR against the unidentified accused.
Victim Narinder Singh alleged that he faced harassment while trying to get an FIR registered, claiming that he made multiple visits to the cybercrime police station but was repeatedly turned away. It was only after approaching the Ludhiana police commissioner an FIR was finally registered on Thursday, he said.
Narinder said his ordeal began in July 2023 when he was added to a WhatsApp group claiming to be associated with a food delivery platform. He later discovered that the platform had ceased operations in India. The group included several other individuals who were promised lucrative commissions for completing online tasks.
The scheme involved purchasing products on a portal supposedly linked to the company. Victims were told that during peak traffic hours, the company would resell these products from their quota, earning them hefty commissions.
“I was added to a Telegram group where links were shared. Clicking on links would open a portal displaying a specific amount I had to transfer to a given bank account. The app then showed that the products had been purchased through me. Initially, I paid ₹11,000 and received ₹19,000 in return. Encouraged by the returns, I paid ₹33,000 and got ₹45,000, which built my trust in the scheme,” said Narinder.
As his investment crossed ₹10 lakh, he was persuaded to pay more to “release” his earnings. Group members, who he later realised were part of the scam, convinced him that additional payments were needed. Desperate to recover his money, he borrowed funds from friends and relatives, eventually losing ₹40.6 lakh.
“My last payment of ₹10 lakh was supposedly an ‘insurance charge’ as my investment had grown. The scammers assured me that it was refundable, but when I refused to pay more, they removed me from all the groups and cut contact,” he revealed.
Realising he had been duped, he approached the cybercrime police station in January 2024, but his complaints were ignored for an entire year, he said. “I visited the police station countless times waiting for hours for updates but no action was taken,” he said.
ASI Jasbir Singh confirmed that an FIR has been lodged under Sections 420 (Cheating) and 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) of the IPC against the unidentified accused.
In another case, fraudsters duped a woman, Pooja Rani, of Madhopuri on the pretext of getting her loan rebate. The woman stated that she received a call from an unidentified number. The caller claimed himself to be an executive of a finance company. The accused stated that the company had introduced a scheme for the customers under which loan rebate was offered. The caller asked her to deposit the amount in their bank account.
The woman stated that she had transferred ₹10.15 lakh to a bank account given by the caller. When she contacted the firm, the employees claimed that no such scheme was introduced by the firm. After she realised that she had been duped, she filed a complaint to the police on January 30.
ASI Jasbir Singh, who is investigating the case, said an FIR under Sections 318(4) and 319 (2) of the BNS has been registered against the unidentified accused.
How it unfolded
- In July 2023, Narinder Singh of Haibowal joined a WhatsApp group in which he was promised lucrative returns for completing online tasks.
- He was asked to transfer some amount to a bank account, claiming it will be spent to purchase products on a portal which would be resold in peak hours to earn “hefty commissions”.
- Initially, he paid ₹11,000 and received ₹19,000 in return. Then he paid ₹33,000 and got ₹45,000. When his investment crossed ₹10 lakh and he was asked to pay more to release his earnings.
- He borrowed money from friends and relatives to pay to scamsters, eventually losing ₹40.6 lakh. His last payment of ₹10 lakh was an insurance charge, as told to him by scamsters.