Ludhiana resident duped of ₹21L in online scam
The cyber crime police station of Ludhiana commissionerate registered an FIR against the unidentified accused and initiated an investigation following the complaint filed by Vrishabh Goyal, 30, a resident of Lotia Colony, Pakhowal road, Ludhiana
A city resident lost over ₹21 lakh in a fraudulent online scheme that lured him with a promise of earning money by reviewing products. Initially, the victim received small profits, which built his trust, but when he transferred a large sum, the fraudsters vanished without returning his money.
The cyber crime police station of Ludhiana commissionerate registered an FIR against the unidentified accused and initiated an investigation following the complaint filed by Vrishabh Goyal, 30, a resident of Lotia Colony, Pakhowal road.
Inspector Satvir Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the cyber crime police station, said Goyal had been using Telegram when he received a message from an ID named Reet, offering him an opportunity to earn commissions by reviewing products online. Interested in the proposal, Goyal responded to the message and decided to participate in the scheme.
The victim was directed to create a profile on a website, where he noticed an initial balance of ₹10,000 in his account. The fraudster informed him that before reviewing products, his wallet needed to have money, as commissions were based on the balance. The caller credited ₹10,000 into his wallet for the first transaction and after reviewing a product, Goyal received ₹850 as profit. Encouraged, he deposited ₹10,000, reviewed more products, and received ₹14,000 in return. He further invested ₹34,000 and received ₹41,000, which deepened his trust in the scheme.
Believing he had discovered a lucrative opportunity, Goyal continued investing heavily between January 27 and 29, eventually transferring ₹21 lakh into the fraudsters’ wallet. However, when he requested his returns, the fraudster demanded another ₹10 lakh, claiming that payments above ₹20 lakh required an additional deposit. It was at this point that Goyal realised he had been scammed.
The victim had recently sold a plot and was planning to invest in another property but fell prey to the fraudulent scheme, hoping to multiply his money easily.
Inspector Satvir Singh said an FIR under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the accused.
The inspector urged people to remain cautious against such cyber frauds. He warned that any random person offering lucrative profits through online schemes—especially those requiring deposits into bank accounts or e-wallets—should be treated with extreme caution.