UDUPI, 23 JULY

A 34-year-old man allegedly lost over Rs 15.5 lakh to an online scam after being lured into a fraudulent investment scheme via a messaging app, police said on Wednesday.

The victim, identified as Ashwith, filed a complaint at the Karkala town police station, following which an FIR was registered under the Information Technology Act, they added.

Ashwith, according to police, received a WhatsApp message on 28 January, 2025, from a number registered under the name Meena Sakpal, inviting him to join an "S-coin investment task" through the app.

Believing the message to be "genuine", he followed the instructions, shared his account details, and made multiple payments between 29 January and 19 June, 2025.

A total of Rs 15,52,650 was transferred from his Maharashtra Bank account in Mangaluru to a UPI-linked account. After making the payments, he was asked to invest more and later told to pay a tax to retrieve his money, a senior police officer said.

When the funds were not returned, Ashwith approached the police. Further investigation is underway, police said.