Thane: A 42-year-old doctor from Dombivli in the Thane district of Maharashtra, fell victim to a cryptocurrency scam, losing more than ₹30 lakh, according to local police.
The incident reportedly occurred between August 2 and 6, as per the complaint filed by the victim at Manpada police station in the Kalyan division.
The doctor was allegedly coaxed into investing in cryptocurrency by an unidentified caller, who convinced her of high returns. Trusting the fraudster, she transferred the money, only to realize later that she had been defrauded. The Manpada police have launched an investigation into the case, but no arrests have been made so far, reports PTI.
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“As per the complaint, the doctor received a call claiming that a parcel allegedly sent by her to Thailand on July 24 contained suspicious items. The caller falsely stated that the parcel included three passports, three SIM cards and MD drugs, among other things,” an official of Manpada police station in Kalyan division said.
The victim was then tricked into downloading a mobile application and was lured into purchasing cryptocurrency worth Rs 30,86,535. She transferred the amount to different bank accounts as instructed, he said, adds PTI.
A similar incident occurred last year in Mumbai, a senior doctor lost around Rs 1.1 crore on the pretext of getting huge returns on cryptocurrency investment. The complaint was filed by a 46-year-old man, a senior gynaecologist from central Mumbai at the central cybercrime police station of the crime branch. Following the guidelines provided by a certain woman on online trading investment, the doctor was cheated and lost all the money in the process.
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others are not illegal in India, but they lack clear regulatory guidelines. The Indian government is working on a framework to regulate crypto in India and address associated risks and concerns.
Also Read:Mumbai: Senior gynaecologist falls victim to Online Crypto currency fraud, cheated of Rs 1.1 crore