Bengaluru: 82-year-old man loses ₹28.5 lakh in online investment fraud
An 82-year-old man in Bengaluru was defrauded of ₹28.5 lakh after being lured into a fake investment scheme. The scammers used a morphed video of the Union Finance Minister to gain the victim's trust.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the rising threat of AI-driven deepfake scams targeting vulnerable populations for financial fraud.
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.
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