The victim of the fraud is a senior counsel representing central agencies, including Customs and the NIA.
A leading criminal lawyer specialising in cyber cases was duped by an online fraud syndicate, resulting in a loss of Rs 93 lakh. The fraudsters deceived the lawyer, who belongs to Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, into believing he would gain substantial returns through stock market investments. The scam, which targeted the high-profile lawyer, occurred between June 21 and June 27. The cyber police have launched an investigation into the matter.
The victim of the fraud is a senior counsel representing central agencies, including Customs and the NIA. The scam began on June 21 when the lawyer received a call on his WhatsApp from an international number. The caller convinced him of significant potential profits from stock market trading. Subsequently, the lawyer was added to a WhatsApp group named “Club 88” and instructed to install a mobile app called “Block Tigers.”
A second call was made to the lawyer, during which he was instructed to deposit Rs 5 lakh in two installments. The caller falsely claimed that these deposits would generate substantial profits from stock trading, leading the lawyer to invest more.
By June 27, a total of Rs 93 lakh had been transferred by the lawyer to various bank accounts, after which the accused became unreachable. The lawyer eventually realised that the promised profits were fraudulent and filed a complaint with the cyber police.
