Neurosurgeon Loses Rs 62.8 Lakh to Cyber Fraudsters in Investment Scam

GG News Bureau
Jodhpur, 6th Feb. A neurosurgeon from Jodhpur, Tejpal Fidoda, lost Rs 62.8 lakh to cyber criminals who lured him with promises of high returns on stock market investments, the police said. The fraudsters managed to siphon off the amount in just one-and-a-half days.

Realizing he had been scammed, Fidoda filed an FIR at Bhagat Ki Kothi police station. Police in-charge Rajiv Bhadu confirmed that Fidoda, a resident of Krishna Nagar, received a link on January 3 inviting him to join an app called SCIATOP and a WhatsApp investment group.

Upon clicking the link, Fidoda became a member of the group and installed the app. The group, managed by five administrators, included key contacts with mobile numbers 9973339746, 7898103479, 7357070457, 8624901375, and 7304417998. Fidoda regularly interacted with two individuals named Niharika Tiwari and Saurabh Jain, who claimed to offer expert investment advice.

The fraudsters created a private wealth group for Fidoda, guiding him on various investment opportunities. They convinced him to transfer funds to an institutional account, promising substantial returns within four months. They discouraged him from using his personal demat account and instead set up an institutional trading account via the SCIATOP app. The criminals falsely claimed to be affiliated with the Standard Chartered Wealth Fund and encouraged Fidoda to invest in OTC, IPOs, and institutional trading.

Once the money was transferred, the fraudsters informed Fidoda that his funds had been frozen and pressured him to deposit more to release the funds. It was only at this point that Fidoda realized he had fallen victim to the scam.

Following the complaint, the Bhagat Ki Kothi police launched an investigation. Preliminary findings revealed that the fraudsters had gained Fidoda’s trust through WhatsApp communication and fraudulent trading claims. Authorities are now tracking the involved accounts and mobile numbers to identify and apprehend the culprits.