A Bengaluru doctor allegedly lost ₹4.47 crore after cyber fraudsters promised high returns through cryptocurrency investments and directed him to transfer money to multiple bank accounts, police said. A case has been registered at the Bengaluru city central division cyber police station, and the investigation is under way.
The 50-year-old doctor, a resident of Doddanekkundi, was allegedly contacted on WhatsApp in August by a woman identified as Ayushi Sharma. She reportedly told him that investing in cryptocurrency could generate substantial returns and shared the contact details of a man identified as Vijay Ananth.
According to the complaint cited by police, Ananth told the doctor that he could help generate high returns from cryptocurrency transactions. He allegedly said that 30% of the profits would be paid as commission and added the doctor to a WhatsApp group named Coin TRS Transaction.
The group allegedly shared screenshots showing large profits earned by other participants. Police said the screenshots were used to persuade the doctor that the investment platform and its returns were genuine. The alleged fraudsters also presented the Coin TRS platform as showing profits of about ₹14 crore in the doctor’s account.
Following the instructions he received, the doctor allegedly transferred ₹4.47 crore through different bank accounts between August 23 and September 3. When he later tried to withdraw the purported profits, he was reportedly told that he needed to transfer additional money before the funds could be released.
That demand led the doctor to realise that he had allegedly been deceived. He contacted the cybercrime helpline and informed authorities. Police said they traced the bank accounts used in the alleged fraud and temporarily froze them. The accounts, however, remain part of the ongoing investigation, and the police are continuing efforts to identify and locate the accused.
The case has been registered at the central division cyber police station based on the doctor’s complaint. Police have not disclosed the identities or locations of the alleged accused beyond the names mentioned in the complaint, and the allegations will be subject to investigation. Authorities are continuing to examine the money transfers and the accounts connected to the case.
