Pune (Maharashtra) [India], August 10 : A 38-year-old woman from Pune was allegedly duped of Rs 4.09 lakh by cyber fraudsters who used a fake video featuring industrialist Ratan Tata on Instagram to lure her with promises of high returns from share trading, police said.
According to the complaint, the woman, identified as Vaishali Swapnil Jagdale, had seen a video featuring Ratan Tata on Instagram between October 9, 2024, and June 13, 2025. The video allegedly contained a link to an advertisement, which she clicked on and subsequently downloaded an application.
Following this, a person, identified as Manu Mohan, allegedly contacted her through Microsoft Teams and promised high returns through share trading. The accused allegedly gained her confidence and instructed her to transfer money to different bank accounts linked to various UPI IDs.
The complainant transferred a total of Rs 4,09,100 from her account with Thane Janta Sahakari Bank to different accounts. She later realised that she had been cheated and approached the police.
A case has been registered against the operators of the link and the concerned beneficiary bank account holders under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(d) of the Information Technology Act.
Police have launched an investigation to identify the holders of the bank accounts into which the money was transferred and trace the persons allegedly operating the fake trading application and online link.