Ahmedabad man duped of ₹11.4 lakh in forex trading scam operated via Telegram

A 42-year-old account manager in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad was allegedly duped of over ₹11.4 lakh in an online forex trading scam orchestrated through Telegram, police said on Monday. The case has been registered with the City Cyber Cell.

Chandkheda resident Nitin Bhatt in complaint states that the fraudsters contacted him via a Telegram user ID named 'Athulyanz' in early June this year and lured him into investing in forex trading through a fake website purportedly linked to 'Darwinex Global'.

Bhatt, who works as an account manager with a private firm in Prahladnagar, said he was first convinced to invest ₹20,000 through the link, which appeared to show profits in his online trading account. When he withdrew ₹20,000 successfully, he was led to believe the platform was genuine and began transferring larger sums to different bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

Between June 6 and August 6, 2025, Bhatt made multiple payments totalling ₹11.60 lakh to various accounts.The scammers initially returned ₹20,000 to gain his confidence but later refused to release his principal amount or profits, citing a need to pay a 30% 'tax' of ₹10.82 lakh before withdrawal.

Realising he had been cheated, Bhatt contacted the Cybercrime Helpline (1930) and filed an official complaint.

The Ahmedabad Cyber Cell have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and have begun tracing the Telegram IDs, bank accounts, and IP addresses linked to the fraudulent network.

Police officials said preliminary findings suggest a coordinated cyber fraud ring operating through Telegram and fake investment websites, similar to several cases reported across Gujarat in recent months.