ATS Department on WhatsApp, Telegram profit trap: UP residents lose Rs 49 lakh

Cyber fraudsters have duped residents of Lucknow of nearly Rs 49 lakh in two separate incidents, police said. In the first case from the Mahanagar area, scammers posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) allegedly extorted Rs 34 lakh from a woman by threatening her with fake warrants and seizure orders.

The victim, Asha Singh, originally from Koda Jahanabad in Bindki, currently lives in Sector-C, Mahanagar. She said the fraudsters called her continuously for 14 days, introducing themselves as officers from investigation agencies.

The calls appeared on WhatsApp under the name "ATS Department". The scammers sent her forged notices, claiming that legal action would be taken against her, which prompted her to transfer the money via RTGS to multiple accounts out of fear.

In another incident in the Gomtinagar area, Rahul Kumar Gupta, a resident of Kaushalpuri Colony, was conned through Telegram after being lured with promises of huge profits.

Contacted by an ID named "@Damayanthi123456", he was initially asked to invest Rs 7,999 and later instructed to deposit increasing amounts daily. Over 15 days, he transferred a total of Rs 15,47,626.

When he attempted to withdraw his earnings, he was told to deposit another Rs 8 lakh to "improve his credit score to 100". When he refused and demanded his money back, the fraudsters blocked all contact.

Cyber police station in-charge Inspector Brijesh Yadav said FIRs have been registered in both cases and investigations are underway. The police are tracing the accused through call details and bank transactions.

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