Hyderabad: The Cyber Crime Police in Hyderabad have arrested a man from South West Delhi who was involved in a major investment scam. The accused, Neeraj (31), was connected to 88 fraud cases across India, including seven in Telangana.
Neeraj worked as an account supplier and OTP (One Time Password) operator. During the arrest, police seized a laptop, six mobile phones, bank passbooks, debit cards, cheque books, SIM cards, rubber stamps, OTP detectors, and UPI QR codes.
One of the victims, a 39-year-old man from Hyderabad, was tricked into using an app called Costa Well Grown. He was told to invest money through the app and was shown fake daily profits. Believing it to be genuine, he invested a total of ₹6,16,918. The app claimed that withdrawals would take one to three days after deducting 6% tax. However, after some time, the app stopped allowing withdrawals, and the victim lost access to his money.
In a separate case, another fraudster named Darji Uma Maheshwar (32) was arrested. He was caught cheating people by sending fake investment links and promising high returns. Police seized cheque books of shell companies, stamps, account passbooks, debit cards, barcode scanners, and mobile phones from him.
Another 39-year-old victim reported losing ₹10,58,330 after receiving a message on WhatsApp from someone pretending to be a representative of a company called Saint Louis. The scammer, using the name MIA Durand, convinced him to invest in crystal products through a fake website. After the investment, the website was blocked and the victim could no longer contact the person. He then filed a complaint with the cyber crime police.
Police explained that fraudsters often contact victims via phone, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media platforms. They pretend to be employees of well-known companies and use professional language to build trust. They even create fake websites and apps to show fake profits and gain the victim’s confidence.
Once the victim sends money, the fraudsters block all communication and disappear.
If you or someone you know is a victim of cybercrime, report it immediately by calling 1930 or visiting https://cybercrime.gov.in/.
