Mumbai — A 27-year-old tech professional from Bhandup was allegedly cheated of Rs.8.40 lakh by cyber fraudsters who lured him into a task-based investment scheme run through Telegram groups promising easy returns for simple online tasks.
Victim Files Complaint
The victim, Sagar Vijay Magre, a Quality Analyst with Wipro in Navi Mumbai and resident of Tembhipada, Bhandup (West), filed a complaint at the Bhandup Police Station after realising he had been duped. A case has been registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act. The police investigation is ongoing.
How the Scam Unfolded
According to the FIR, the fraud occurred between August 18 and 26. On August 17, Magre was added to a Telegram group named DGM.126, which shared movie links. Clicking a link redirected him to IMDb, where he was told he would earn Rs.50 per like on movie pages.
Scammers Build Trust Before Extracting Large Amounts
To create credibility, scammers initially sent small sums of Rs.150–Rs.200 to Magre’s account after he completed a few tasks. He was then added to additional Telegram groups — 857 CME TASK GROUP, 141 CME TASK GROUP and 5609 CME TASK GROUP — and contacted by users with handles such as @IshikaRastogi22, @MohiniAgarwal_ACT_11 and @AbhishekChoudhary_FCM, along with WhatsApp numbers.
Fake Profiles and High-Return Promises
The fraudsters asked Magre to create a profile via a shared link and invest in various “slabs” promising higher returns. Trusting the scheme, he invested progressively and ultimately lost Rs.8.40 lakh without receiving any promised payouts.
Loss Realised and Action Taken
After suspecting fraud, Magre contacted the Cyber Helpline (1930) and filed an online complaint, then lodged a formal complaint at the Bhandup police station. The police have registered a case and are probing the matter, collecting logs and attempting to trace the perpetrators.
Source: Free Press Journal
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