In a case involving a ₹2.11 crore fraud committed through online investment trading, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) Cyber Crime Wing arrested one person and seized two mobile phones.
Police said the complainant, T.A. Sekar, 69, a resident of Adyar, stated that he came across a Facebook advertisement featuring an AI-generated video impersonating the Union Finance Minister. Believing the video to be genuine, he was lured into investing in fake online trading platforms named ‘Mudraone.io’ and ‘9pro.com’, which promised high returns.
Between October 6 and 9, Sekar transferred a total of ₹2.11 crore to the fraudsters through 23 bank transactions. The accused later pressured him to invest more money. When Sekar informed them that he had no balance in his bank account and possessed only cash, the fraudsters instructed him to hand over ₹25 lakh in cash to a person sent by them.
Suspecting foul play, Sekar lodged a complaint at the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner’s Office on Wednesday. On Thursday, the police apprehended Rahul Raj Purohit near a coffee shop in Kasturba Nagar, Adyar, when he arrived to collect ₹25 lakh from the complainant.
During interrogation, Rahul Raj Purohit stated that he had no knowledge of the fraud and claimed that he came to collect the money on the instructions of his father, Prithviraj Purohit, 43. Subsequently, the prime accused Prithviraj Purohit, a resident of Perambur, Binny Mills area, Chennai, was arrested on Thursday. Two mobile phones and SIM cards used in the commission of the crime were seized from him.
