An 82-year-old man from Whitefield lost ₹28.5 lakh after cyber fraudsters allegedly lured him into a fake online investment platform using a morphed video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Whitefield CEN Crime Police registered a case on Monday based on a complaint.

According to the complaint, on April 14, 2026, the victim was watching a social media video related to the Finance Minister and investment opportunities. Around the same time, an unidentified person, who introduced himself as Rajveer, allegedly contacted him and advised him to invest through a site.

Subsequently, another person identifying himself as Ashok Kohli contacted the victim through WhatsApp using several foreign numbers. The accused allegedly promised high returns on investments and sent a link to the victim.

The victim was directed to register on the website and make investments, with the fraudsters allegedly assuring him that he could withdraw his investment along with profits.

Believing their claims, the victim initially invested ₹18,587. The accused subsequently persuaded him to invest larger amounts to earn higher returns.

The victim then transferred a total of ₹28.5 lakh to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

When he subsequently sought to withdraw the money, the accused allegedly demanded that he make further payments. Realising that he had been cheated, the victim approached the Whitefield CEN Crime Police and sought legal action against the unidentified accused and recovery of his money.

The police have registered a case and taken up an investigation into the bank accounts, phone numbers, WhatsApp communications and the fake investment platform used in the alleged fraud.

The police advised people not to fall for any claims made on social media and cautioned everyone to be careful while sharing personal information.

Published - August 11, 2026 07:45 pm IST