Madurai man conned of over Rs 96 lakh; six arrested

CHENNAI: The TN Police’s Cybercrime wing arrested a six-member gang for defrauding a Madurai-based person of Rs 96.5 lakh by luring him to invest in international share trading.

Police said that the complainant had responded to a WhatsApp message and invested the money in the bank accounts mentioned by the gang. After he did not get the promised returns, the complainant realised he was taken for a ride and filed a complaint at Madurai district cybercrime police station.

The investigation was taken up by the State cybercrime headquarters, whose swift action froze Rs 38.28 lakh. Upon analysing the victim’s transaction details, it was discovered that Rs 20 lakh was sent to a single account, which was then transferred to two accounts belonging to S Seeni Mohamed of Thennur, Tiruchy. Further analysis revealed that he had withdrawn the cash via cheque from his bank accounts.

Probe revealed that he acted under the direction of L Ibrahim (30) of Uraiyur for a commission. Four others who were part of the gang – Mohammed Sabeer (26), Mohammed Riyaz (30), Mohammed Azharudeen (25) – all from Tiruchy, and Mohammed Marzuk (40) of Thanjavur, were arrested.

“The suspects had withdrawn the cash and handed it over to the people who bring the code word received through their WhatsApp. This money was then transferred to other accounts, and the suspects received a commission of Rs 1,000 for every lakh transferred,” an official release stated.

The investigation revealed that the suspects had utilised multiple bank accounts, laundering approximately Rs 1 crore and transferring it to various accounts through this method.