Panvel, Woman Loses Huge Sum in Stock Market Investment Link Sent on WhatsApp

A 40-year-old woman from New Panvel lost Rs 1.92 crores to cyber fraudsters while investing in the stock market. Shockingly, her bank account was also frozen due to her alleged involvement in defrauding a man in Telangana. The victim woman initiated her stock market investments after receiving a link on her husband's WhatsApp number, purportedly sent by someone named Ritu Vora. Initially, she invested Rs 60 lakh and profited Rs 12 lakh, subsequently withdrawing Rs 50 lakh. Encouraged by promises of even higher returns on larger investments, she proceeded to invest a total of Rs 1,92,82,837 across two bank accounts from 2023 to January 2024. To her dismay, she discovered that her ICICI Bank account had been frozen. Upon visiting the bank, she was informed that her joint account with her husband had been frozen at the direction of the Telangana Police, in connection with a case involving a person named Harsh who had allegedly been defrauded in Telangana. Given the situation, the bank provided her with the email address and mobile number of the Telangana police. Despite her efforts to reach out via email and phone calls, she received no response. Attempts to contact Ritu Vora, the initial contact for her investments, were futile as well, as the contact number provided was unavailable. She even failed to withdraw money that she had invested through the link. Ultimately, she sought assistance from the Cyber Cell police and filed a complaint. The police registered a case of cheating under relevant sections of the IPC and IT Act (Revised) and initiated an investigation into the matter.