Two Senior Citizens Lose Over ₹17 Lakh in Separate Online Frauds in Mangaluru

In two separate incidents of cyber fraud reported in Mangaluru, senior citizens lost more than ₹17 lakh to online scammers who lured them through deceptive investment offers and fake service centre contacts.

In the first case, a 63-year-old resident lost ₹13.92 lakh after falling prey to an online investment scam. According to the complaint, the victim had clicked on a link under a Facebook video featuring Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MP Sudha Murthy. Shortly after, he received a message inviting him to invest in online trading for high returns.

The complainant said he was contacted by a woman who identified herself as Nandini Tyagi and promised lucrative profits. Later, another person claiming to be a financial expert guided him to transfer money to various bank accounts. Between August 28 and October 22, the victim transferred a total of ₹13.92 lakh. When he asked for returns on his investment, the fraudsters refused to repay the amount, prompting him to contact the 1930 Cyber Crime Helpline. The complaint was referred to the Barke Police Station, which has registered a case under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.

In another incident, a 74-year-old retired employee lost ₹3.83 lakh after downloading a malicious APK file sent by a fraudster. The victim had searched on Google for a washing machine service centre and called a number listed online. The person on the other end sent him an APK file through WhatsApp, claiming it was required for service registration.

Soon after downloading the file, the victim noticed unauthorized withdrawals from his bank accounts — ₹2.35 lakh from his Union Bank account and ₹1.48 lakh from his Canara Bank account. The Mangaluru Rural Police have registered a case in connection with the fraud.

Police have once again urged the public not to click on suspicious links, download unknown applications, or transfer money to unverified accounts. They have advised citizens to verify the authenticity of service centres and to immediately report cyber frauds by calling the 1930 Helpline or visiting the cybercrime.gov.in portal.