Hyderabad’s Cyberabad Cyber Crime police are investigating a high-value online fraud case in which a 38-year-old US-returned private sector employee from Tellapur lost ₹1.3 crore. The victim was approached on June 30 via Telegram by a woman identifying herself as Avni Pandit. She claimed to represent an e-commerce portal that paid freelancers for simple tasks such as adding products to online shopping carts.
To build trust, the victim was given three trial assignments with small payments successfully credited to his account. Later, another handler named Sakshi directed him to join a group linked to a fraudulent cryptocurrency trading site, okx01.click/trade, where he was persuaded to take on prepaid investment tasks.
Small Rewards Lead to Massive Transfers
Initially, the victim received a refund of ₹32,900, which increased his confidence in the scheme. Over the next few days, he was instructed to transfer amounts ranging between ₹1,000 and ₹30 lakh per transaction. Fraudsters cited “corrections,” “data repair fees,” “tax clearances,” and “VIP channel activations” as reasons for additional payments.
Between June 30 and July 4, the victim transferred more than ₹1.3 crore into multiple bank accounts linked to the scammers. Each time he attempted to withdraw his funds, the fraudsters demanded further charges, delaying the process. Realising he had been duped, the victim approached police on July 19.
Case Registered Under BNS and IT Act
Cyberabad police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:
- Section 318(4): Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property
- Section 319(2): Cheating by personation
- Section 336(3): Forgery for purpose of cheating
- Section 338: Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.
- Section 340(2): Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record
Additionally, Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act has been invoked. Police are now analysing bank account details and money trails to identify the gang members behind the fraud.
Cybercrime officials have urged citizens to stay vigilant against part-time job offers on Telegram and fraudulent trading platforms, noting that such scams are increasingly being routed through cryptocurrency channels to avoid detection.
