33-year-old duped of 48L in Telegram scam

Rajkot: A 33-year-old man from Rasikgadh village in Wankaner taluka of Morbi district filed a complaint with Morbi Cyber Crime police alleging he was cheated out of Rs 48 lakh in a work-from-home scam orchestrated via Telegram.

The complainant, Makbulhussain Mathakiya, who is engaged in farming and also runs a business called Arbab Agency from Monali Chambers in Wankaner, told police that he was approached in Jan 2025 on Telegram by people promising lucrative returns from online work.

According to the FIR, the accused gradually coaxed Mathakiya into transferring large sums of money to multiple bank accounts saying the more he invested the more he would earn. In total, he transferred over Rs 48 lakh. When he later attempted to withdraw the money he had earned, the accused said he would need to first pay a ‘tax' before the funds could be released.

Realizing he had been cheated, Mathakiya approached police and lodged a complaint. The investigation revealed that the accused used seven different UPI IDs and 19 bank accounts to siphon off the money.

A case has been registered under Sections 316(2), 319(2), 318(4), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. Police said efforts are underway to trace the accused.