Ranchi Bureau: A 70-year-old retired officer from Ranchi has fallen victim to a major cyber fraud, losing nearly ₹44 lakh to online scammers. Acting swiftly on the complaint, the Cyber Crime Station under CID Jharkhand arrested a 19-year-old accused from Deoghar.
The Victim and the Fraud
The victim, Umashankar Kandve, a former officer of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) who now resides in Kanke, Ranchi, was tricked into investing through a fake trading application named Cantillon. Fraudsters contacted him via WhatsApp, showing fabricated profits to gain his trust. Over time, he transferred ₹44 lakh into multiple bank accounts, believing he was making genuine investments.
Arrest of the Accused
Police tracked down the alleged scammer, identified as Yashvardhan Kumar, a school dropout from Gaya, Bihar, currently living in Deoghar. Upon his arrest, authorities seized a mobile phone, SIM cards, WhatsApp chats, and banking records linked to the fraudulent transactions.
A Nationwide Network of Complaints
During the investigation, officials discovered that the accused operated through a Bank of Baroda account (No. 26450200001669), which already had 46 complaints registered across 17 states. The account has been linked to fraud cases in Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and several other states.
Police Advisory for Citizens
The Cyber Crime Police have urged people to stay vigilant against such scams. They have advised citizens:
Do not click on suspicious links received via WhatsApp, Telegram, or Google Ads.
Avoid transferring money to unknown bank accounts or UPI IDs in the name of investments.
Use only government-authorized apps and platforms for financial transactions.
In case of fraud, immediately contact the cyber helpline 1930 or report through cybercrime . gov . in. Complaints can also be lodged at the nearest police station or cyber cell.
Authorities stressed that awareness and timely reporting are the strongest shields against such rising cases of cybercrime.
