Mumbai Student Dies by Suicide After Losing ₹1.8 Lakh to Cyber Fraud; Police File Case Against Four
Mumbai:
A 20-year-old student in Mumbai tragically ended his life by jumping in front of a moving train after reportedly falling victim to a cyber investment scam, authorities said. The case, initially registered as an accidental death, was later linked to online fraud, prompting police to file charges against four individuals for abetment to suicide and fraud.
The victim, identified as Vivek Tete, had invested a total of ₹1.8 lakh in a fake share market network allegedly operated by Govind Ahirrao, Sushilkumar Mishra, Aman Abbas, and Harijit Singh Sandhu. Investigations revealed that the accused lured Vivek with initial small profits, convincing him to invest increasingly larger sums.
Police traced Vivek’s transactions and interactions through mobile phone records, banking statements, and UPI logs, which showed repeated pressure from the fraudsters via Telegram to deposit more money in an attempt to recover his previous investments.
According to Vivek’s father, Vijay Kishore, his son initially invested ₹1,000 and received a matching profit. Encouraged by this, Vivek invested ₹80,000 more. On July 17, he asked his father to transfer an additional ₹4 lakh to gain higher returns and withdraw earlier earnings. Despite warnings from his father that the platform could be fraudulent, Vivek insisted the scheme was legitimate.
His father was able to transfer only ₹1 lakh at a time, as per banking limits, and the remaining transaction was flagged as suspicious and returned. Later that day, after meeting his father at a mall, Vivek did not return home.
On October 11, following a detailed investigation, the Mumbai police formally registered a case against the four accused. Searches are ongoing to identify additional suspects potentially involved in the scam.
Authorities have urged the public to exercise caution with online investment platforms and warned against schemes promising unusually high returns, highlighting the severe psychological and financial risks associated with cyber fraud.
