A businessman from New Town allegedly fell victim to an investment scam, losing ₹21.6 crore to fraudsters who impersonated representatives of a well-known foreign investment firm.
According to the complaint filed by Nirmalya Saha, he was first added to a WhatsApp group called The Bright Bulls, where the admin had introduced himself as a “stock market mentor”.
Initially, the group allegedly persuaded him to invest ₹2 crore, which he transferred from his bank account to nine different bank accounts shared with him through WhatsApp.
According to police, Saha was given the impression that his money was being transferred through accounts of multiple companies to get the best returns.
Saha, promised lucrative returns, continued to invest. In August, he was informed that his trading account had been “locked” for an over-allotment of shares, the police said.
“He was prompted to invest more capital to unlock his account, which he agreed to do. However, the next month, when he attempted to withdraw his funds, he was asked for more money. Upon his refusal, he was denied access to his invested funds,” an officer from Bidhannagar city police said.
When he realised that he had been duped, Saha complained to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal before approaching Eco Park police station on Sunday.
The police said a formal case had been drawn up and the accounts where the money had been transferred were being tracked.
No one had been arrested till late on Monday.