Mumbai doctor, friend duped of Rs 2.55 lakh on pretext of cryptocurrency investment

Mumbai: In an incident of cyber fraud, a 27-year-old Mumbai-based doctor and her friend lost around Rs 2.55 lakh on the promise of a part-time job and huge returns on cryptocurrency investment.

The complaint was filed by Dr Hemal Dave, a private practitioner who currently works with a hospital in Malad, at the Kurar police station, following which the police booked the accused for cheating under the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

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The police said that the doctor received a WhatsApp message on January 12 from someone who asked her if she was interested in a part-time job.

Upon enquiring about the nature of the job, the person replied that she had to give positive reviews to YouTube videos in exchange for payment. A police official said, "Dave completed a few tasks and was paid small amounts in return, which convinced her that she was dealing with a genuine party. This went on for a day, and the next evening, the accused asked her to install a bitcoin app, saying that it was part of the task. On the accused’s instructions, Dave started transferring increasing amounts of money into the app, which showed her that her investment was already getting good returns."

The doctor invested around Rs 1.55 lakh into the app in two days, backed by the promise of a hefty return. She was encouraged by the accused to invest more, who promised her that higher investments would bring higher returns. Following that, the doctor talked to one of her friends and the latter also invested Rs 1 lakh into the app.

The officer further informed Hindustan Times, "When Dave asked about her returns, the accused told her that she had made some mistakes in the ‘tasks’ and hence there would be no payment released till she deposited a further ₹2 lakh into the app. Dave refused to send any more money till she had received what she had been promised, and the accused cut off all communication with her."

The doctor then subsequently went to the police station on Sunday and filed a complaint, after which the police registered a case against the accused.

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