Overview

• Richard Rao and Prashant Chaudhary were arrested in Dombivli on Sunday by the Western Region Cyber Cell.
• The Powai-based doctor invested about ₹25 lakh after joining a WhatsApp trading group that displayed fake profits.
• When he tried to withdraw, the platform blocked transactions and told him to invest more due to a low score before cutting off contact.
• Investigators say the accused provided multiple bank accounts, withdrew the funds, kept a commission, and passed the money to the main fraudster, with deposits linked to other scams also traced to these accounts.
• A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, and efforts to identify the principal operators and recover funds are ongoing.