Imagine being offered a golden opportunity to grow your wealth through stock market investments, only to realise later that it was all a scam. This is exactly what happened to Bijay Kumar Pradhan, a 48-year-old life insurance agent from Danipali, who recently lost Rs 20.45 lakh to an online stock market fraud.
The trouble began when a man named Ravi Sarangi reached out to Pradhan via an instant messaging site. Sarangi taught the complainant about the stock market positions and high-quality stock for future use, reports TOI.
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Pradhan was soon added to three instant messaging groups where he was directed to deposit money into multiple bank accounts. The fraudsters assured him that his investments were secure. At first, everything seemed legitimate, with Pradhan receiving small returns. Encouraged by this, he was pressured to invest more money. When he tried to withdraw his funds, however, he was told that he needed to deposit even more to withdraw his earlier investments.
Between October and November 15, 2024, Pradhan transferred a total of Rs 20.45 lakh to several bank accounts, including funds from his wife’s account.
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