Man arrested for ₹1.92 crore investment fraud in Lucknow

Man Arrested for Alleged ₹1.92 Crore Investment Fraud

A 34-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly cheating a city resident of ₹1.92 crore by luring him into fake investment schemes through WhatsApp, according to Lucknow cybercrime police on Tuesday.

Details of the Arrest

The accused, Imran Ghazi, is a resident of Mishripur Depot under Gudamba police station limits. He was arrested in connection with an FIR registered at the cybercrime police station under sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, said SHO (cybercrime) Brijesh Yadav.

Victim’s Complaint

The case was registered on June 2, 2025, following a complaint by Shalabh Pandey. He alleged that a woman identifying herself as “Bhavika Shetty” contacted him on WhatsApp and gradually became friends with him. Through chats and phone calls, he was allegedly persuaded to invest money with promises of high returns.

Fraudulent Transactions

The victim transferred a total of ₹1,92,92,000 into multiple bank accounts. Later, it was revealed that the entire operation was a cyber fraud, according to a senior police officer.

Investigation Findings

A special team, supervised by senior officers including the deputy commissioner of police (crime), cracked the case. During interrogation, Imran Ghazi allegedly confessed that after his bank account was frozen, he procured forged Aadhaar and PAN cards to open multiple bank accounts. He also mentioned a person named Shehzad, who helped him open these accounts using fake documents.

Financial Analysis

The SHO stated that ₹54 lakh of the total amount was directly transferred into the accused’s accounts. An analysis of bank statements showed that transactions worth ₹1.52 crore had taken place through these accounts within just one month.

Evidence Recovered

Investigators recovered one forged Aadhaar card and one forged PAN card from the accused. Police believe the gang used social media platforms to create fake identities, lure victims with promises of high investment returns, and then siphon off the money through multiple accounts on a commission basis.

Summary of the Case