Nagpur: A 34-year-old private-sector employee from Nandanvan allegedly lost ₹44.97 lakh after being lured into an investment scheme through a phone call and subsequently added to a WhatsApp group. The Nagpur Cyber Police have registered a case against an unidentified person in connection with the alleged fraud.

The complainant, Harshan Bandu Mahant (34), is a resident of Bhagya Shree Nagar in the Nandanvan area of Nagpur.

According to the complaint, the victim received a call from an unidentified person using a mobile number with the +44 (UK) country code. The caller allegedly asked Mahant whether he was interested in making investments.

After Mahant agreed, the accused allegedly added him to a WhatsApp group and shared information about investment opportunities and the profits that could reportedly be earned.

The claims allegedly convinced Mahant, following which he made multiple investments on different dates as instructed by the accused. In total, he allegedly transferred ₹44,97,396.

However, the accused allegedly neither paid him the promised profits nor returned his principal amount. Mahant subsequently realised that he had allegedly been cheated and approached the Cyber Police.

Based on his complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, along with cheating and criminal breach of trust provisions.

The Cyber Police are investigating the case and attempting to trace the person operating the mobile number and identify the others involved in the alleged investment fraud.