Kochi: A former Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) employee in Muvattupuzha lost over ₹50 lakh to cyber fraudsters who promised him higher returns through online stock trading. The Muvattupuzha police have launched a probe into the complaint registered by the victim, who lost ₹52,85,000 in multiple transactions held in the past week.

The man, who retired from a gazetted rank post at the KSEB, fell prey to the fraud as he followed an advertisement he came across on social media, the police said.

He was added to a WhatsApp group when he clicked on the link in an advertisement for a purported trading platform. Through the group chats, the scammers made him download a fake app that he believed to be a trading app from a nationwide conglomerate.

The cybercriminals initially made him pay small amounts and offered some returns. He was convinced that his money was being accumulated in a digital wallet. However, he grew suspicious when he could not withdraw money despite multiple attempts and approached the police.

A police team led by Inspector Basil Thomas is probing the case.

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