Hyderabad: Govt official duped of Rs 23.1 lakh in guise of gold trading scheme

Hyderabad: A government official working with the Horticulture Department was duped of Rs.23.1 lakh allegedly in the guise of investment in a gold trading scheme in an online app in LB Nagar.

The 30-year-old complainant from Chandrapuri Colony in Mansoorabad is currently posted at Nalgonda District. Police said the official was recently added by unidentified persons in a WhatsApp group in the name of gold trading. They sent her a link with a message luring her to join a gold scheme and offered gold in return at lower rates than the market. They told her the scheme was being operated from Malaysia.

“She believed and clicked on the link and first sent Rs.5,000 towards membership fee. Starting with it, they collected nearly Rs.23 lakh in the guise of VIP membership and other charges,” an official said.

The LB Nagar police are investigating.