School teacher from Thane district loses Rs 66 lakh in online investment scam

NEW DELHI: A 54-year-old school teacher from Maharashtra’s Thane district lost Rs 66 lakh after falling prey to an online investment scam, an official said on Friday. The Kalyan resident told the police that a woman, who identified herself as Sunita Chowdhary, befriended him on social media and coaxed him to invest in a scheme through a website promising high returns.

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The teacher subsequently “invested” Rs 66 lakh in the scheme over about 50 days, said the official from Kolsewadi police station. Once the teacher began seeking returns and a refund of the original investment, the accused, who had been communicating with him through two mobile phones, became unreachable. The police are working to trace the IP address, mobile locations, and digital transaction trails linked to the accused, the official said.