Mandaveli Software Engineer Loses ₹24.89 Lakh in Online Investment Scam; Woman Arrested in Karnataka

Chennai: A 26-year-old woman who allegedly defrauded a Mandaveli-based software engineer of ₹24.89 lakh through a fake online investment scheme has been arrested by the Chennai City Police Cyber Crime Wing.

In February, Sudha Karthik, 44, lodged a complaint with the East Zone Cyber Crime Police stating that she was added to Telegram groups by an unknown WhatsApp contact who promised high profits through online investments. After earning a small initial return, she continued completing tasks and transferred nearly ₹25 lakh to various bank accounts shared by the scammer. When her money was not returned, she realised she had been cheated and approached the police.

Investigators analysed bank transactions, mobile numbers, email IDs, IP addresses and network user IDs linked to the fraud. Their probe led them to Karnataka, where the accused, Deepa—originally from Tiruvallur and employed at a textile shop—was hiding.

A police team arrested her and seized a mobile phone used in the crime. During questioning, Deepa admitted she had provided her bank account to cyber fraudsters and received funds from victims.

Police said efforts are underway to track down the other suspects who remain absconding.