PRAYAGRAJ: Despite numerous police efforts and awareness campaigns, cyber fraud continues to escalate in Prayagraj.
The cybercriminals remain several steps ahead, outsmarting even the most educated and cautious individuals.
Shockingly, even a well-known police officer recently fell prey to such scams.
In the past month alone, cyber fraudsters have looted over ₹2.25 crore from unsuspecting citizens. Several high-profile cases highlight the growing threat:
A young businessman from Prayagraj fell victim to a cyber fraud orchestrated by a woman posing as a trader, who befriended him on Facebook before cheating him of ₹31.91 lakh under the pretext of online investment.
Two other cases of online scams—one involving fake online shopping and another through a malicious mobile file—have also surfaced, bringing the total amount swindled in the three incidents to ₹50.51 lakh.
All three cases have been registered at the Cyber Police Station, Prayagraj.
The Trading Scam: Friendship Trap Turned Financial Fraud
According to the complaint filed by Ritesh Patel, a pharmaceutical businessman residing in Sarayataki, Jhunsi, the ordeal began when he received a Facebook friend request from an unknown woman, who identified herself as Anika from Gurugram.
After Ritesh accepted the request, the two began chatting on WhatsApp, where the woman persuaded him to invest in a trading platform promising high returns.
Trusting her, Ritesh transferred a total of ₹31,91,978 to the woman’s account over several transactions.
However, when he later attempted to withdraw ₹2 lakh from his trading account, he was informed that the account had been blocked.
The woman then demanded an additional ₹1 lakh as a processing fee to release the funds. It was then that Ritesh realized he had been duped.
Online Shopping Fraud: ₹6.20 Lakh Lost Over a ₹3,000 Purchase
In another case, Shilpa Yadav, a government school teacher from Jhunsi, lodged an FIR stating that on October 11, she saw an advertisement on Instagram offering a temple idol for ₹3,000.
The seller, identified as Shravani Anand Mahadeshwar, asked her to make an online payment.
After she did so, the fraudster tricked her into sharing financial details under the pretext of refunding the amount, eventually siphoning off ₹6.20 lakh from her bank account.
₹12.40 Lakh Vanishes After One Click
A third victim, Uma Rani Sharma, a retired professor from Minto Park, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number containing a file with a “.apk” extension.
Believing it to be a legitimate document, she downloaded it—only to find ₹12.40 lakh withdrawn from her bank account within minutes.
Cyber Police Station in-charge Anil Verma confirmed that FIRs have been registered in all three cases and that investigations are underway.
Prashant Kumar, an engineer from Civil Lines – ₹50 Ehtesamuddin, resident of Kareli – lost ₹22.77 lakh. Others include—-
Raj Shekhar, a teacher from Alopibagh – ₹26.45 lakhRam Chandra, a teacher from Katra – ₹7.32 lakh
Abhishek Saxena, from Beniganj – ₹11.44 lakh
Ramphal, an Air Force personnel from Bamrauli – ₹5.80 lakh
IPS officer D.K. Panda (popularly known as “Doosri Radha”) – ₹4.32 lakh
Rashmi Shukla, teacher from Salori – ₹6.30 lakh through “digital arrest” scam
Dr. Ashish Shukla, from Preetam Nagar – ₹6 lakhAhmed Hasan, from Kareli – ₹14.94 lakh
Usha Rani, from Civil Lines – ₹17.34 lakhShilpa Yadav, from Jhunsi – ₹6.32 lakh
Ritesh Patel, from Jhunsi – ₹31.91 lakhGovind Pal, from Kareli – ₹10 lakhInspector Baikunth Nath – cheated of several lakhs
These cases reflect an alarming trend in digital deception and online fraud, underscoring the urgent need for stronger cyber vigilance, public awareness, and faster law enforcement response.
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