Coimbatore: A senior citizen from Karamadai in Coimbatore district lost ₹28.07 lakh after falling prey to an online trading fraud orchestrated through WhatsApp.According to a complaint filed by A Prabhuram, 64, of Kempagowda Colony in Teachers Colony near Karamadai, a person identifying himself as Amartha Dev contacted him through WhatsApp and talked him into signing up for an online stock trading scheme by promising high returns.Prabhuram eventually transferred a total of ₹28,07,480 from his accounts through multiple transactions between August 29 and September 29. However, the accused neither returned the invested amount nor paid the promised profits. He subsequently stopped responding to Prabhuram’s calls and messages, following which the latter realised that he had been cheated.He later lodged a complaint through the national cybercrime reporting portal. Based on the complaint and a preliminary inquiry, the Coimbatore district cybercrime police registered a case on Thursday. Police are probing the money trail and transactions involving multiple bank accounts suspected to have been used in the fraud.
