The Mangaluru Cyber, Economic offenses, and Narcotics (CEN) police froze ₹10 lakh of the ₹19.8 lakh allegedly lost by a Mangaluru resident in an online investment fraud.In a complaint to the CEN police, a 53-year-old resident of Derebail said a woman identifying herself as Ananya Kulkarni sent him a WhatsApp link to what she claimed was Finsol Sarathi Plan, promising high returns on investment. The complainant clicked on the link and opened an account and transferred ₹19.8 lakh between June 29 and July 20 as investments. When the complainant sought to withdraw the amount, the woman reportedly asked him to invest more money. Suspecting fraud, the victim approached the police and filed a complaint.Soon after registration of the case, the CEN police tracked the money trail and took action to freeze ₹10 lakh of the ₹19.8 lakh invested by the victim.Commissioner of Police (CP) Sudheer Kumar Reddy said police would return the amount to the victim after obtaining a court permission, while continuing the search for the fraudster. Mr. Reddy called upon victims to approach police at the earliest, as this would help police take measures to recover money lost to fraudsters. Published - July 22, 2026 10:00 pm IST