Retired Defence Employee Duped of Rs 10.6 Lakh in Online Investment Scam
A retired man from Dandeli lost over Rs 10 lakh after cyber fraudsters lured him with promises of high returns through a fake investment scheme.
A retired defence department employee from Dandeli has fallen victim to an online investment scam, losing more than Rs 10.6 lakh to cyber fraudsters who promised high profits in dollars through a fake government linked scheme.
The victim, identified as 66 year old Diwakar Narayana from Sainagar in Dandeli, was allegedly targeted after his wife came across an advertisement on Facebook in 2025. The advertisement claimed that investors could earn large profits in dollar currency through a government backed project.
Believing the offer to be genuine, she clicked on the link and shared personal details. Soon after, the family began receiving WhatsApp messages and phone calls from unknown individuals who convinced them to register on a website identified as quantro ai.com.
According to the complaint, the accused initially asked for Rs 10,000 and later returned Rs 12,000 as a registration related payment in order to gain the victim’s trust. The fraudsters then displayed fake profits on the website to make the investment appear legitimate.
They later informed the complainant that the profit amount was held in dollars and additional charges and processing fees had to be paid to withdraw the money. Trusting the claims, the victim transferred a total of Rs 10,60,436 to different bank accounts in several transactions during February 2026.
The scam came to light after the complainant received information from the bank that the transferred amount had been deposited into accounts linked to cybercrime activities. Realising that no genuine investment or profit existed, the family approached the police.
A case has been registered at the Dandeli City Police Station, and further investigation is being carried out by PSI Kiran Patil.
Police have also advised the public to remain cautious of social media advertisements promising unusually high profits. Officials urged people to verify the authenticity of websites and investment schemes before transferring money or sharing personal information online.