A neurosurgeon from Jodhpur fell victim to a sophisticated online stock trading scam, losing ₹62.8 lakh within just one-and-a-half days after being lured by cybercriminals with promises of high returns on stock market investments. Upon realizing the fraud, the doctor, identified as Tejpal Fidoda, son of Amar Singh and a resident of Krishna Nagar, lodged a complaint at Bhagat Ki Kothi police station, prompting the authorities to launch an investigation into the elaborate scheme.
According to Rajiv Bhadu, station house officer of Bhagat Ki Kothi police station, the scam unfolded on January 3 when Tejpal Fidoda received a link inviting him to join an app named SCIATOP and a WhatsApp investment group. Once he clicked the link, he was added to the group and installed the application, where he encountered five administrators. Among them, two key individuals used mobile numbers 9973339746 and 7898103479, while three others were linked to 7357070457, 8624901375, and 7304417998. The doctor frequently interacted with two individuals, identified as Niharika Tiwari and Saurabh Jain, who claimed to be investment experts and created a private wealth group to offer him personalized guidance.
The scammers gained Tejpal Fidoda’s trust by promising substantial profits through institutional trading, OTC investments, and IPOs. They falsely claimed to be affiliated with the Standard Chartered Wealth Fund and systematically convinced him to transfer his money into an institutional account rather than using his personal demat account. To facilitate this, they set up an institutional trading account on his mobile through the SCIATOP app. The fraudsters then initiated multiple withdrawals from his account under the pretense of investment, eventually wiping out ₹62.8 lakh in a matter of hours.
As part of the deception, the criminals later informed Tejpal Fidoda that his money had been frozen and pressured him to deposit additional funds to release it. At this point, he realized he had been duped and reported the scam to the police. Following his complaint, Bhagat Ki Kothi police initiated an inquiry, uncovering how the fraudsters systematically built credibility through WhatsApp communication and fake trading claims. Authorities are now tracking the financial accounts and mobile numbers involved to trace and apprehend the perpetrators.
The incident highlights the growing menace of online investment frauds, where scammers exploit victims by posing as financial experts and using sophisticated tactics to siphon off large sums of money. Police have urged people to be cautious when approached with investment offers, especially from unknown sources, and to verify the authenticity of trading platforms before transferring funds.
