Mysore/Mysuru: In a sequence of separate incidents, 8 individuals have fallen prey to online fraud, collectively losing a substantial amount totalling Rs. 53,47,609 in the city.

In the first case, S. Karan, a 21-year-old student residing in J.T.K. Layout, Kuvempunagar, was enticed by online miscreants through Telegram App. They convinced him to invest Rs. 3.54 lakh with the promise of substantial profits, only to leave him cheated.

Moving on to the second case, Meghana S. Vashista, a 25-year-old engineer from Ramakrishnanagar ‘K’ Block, responded to a message on WhatsApp. She was assigned tasks involving liking and subscribing to YouTube channels. After completing the tasks, she fell victim to a scheme where she lost Rs. 4.05 lakh.

In the third case, N. Mahesh Yadav, a 38-year-old resident of Ramakrishnanagar ‘E&F’ Block, received a WhatsApp message offering work-from-home tasks requiring the provision of five-star ratings to websites. Falling for the scheme, he invested Rs. 2,000 initially and later lost a total of Rs. 33,40,000 in phased transfers to fraudsters.

The fourth case involves Jyothi J. Hommaradi, a 21-year-old student from J.P. Nagar, who was lured by fraudsters with promises of substantial profits for completing tasks. Starting with an investment of Rs. 100, she ended up depositing Rs. 2,50,000, ultimately becoming a victim  of deception.

H.L. Bhanumathi, a 43-year-old resident of Lakshmipuram, is the victim in the fifth case. She was targeted by online fraudsters promising significant profits for subscribing to top YouTube channels, resulting in a loss of Rs. 2.28 lakh.

The sixth case concerns M. Meghana, a 23-year-old resident of Bogadi, who was coerced into investing money and completing tasks. She suffered a loss of Rs. 4,03,209 at the hands of online fraudsters. In the seventh case, Manjunath Udupa Jogannannavar, a 30-year-old engineer residing in Aravindanagar, joined a Telegram App group where fraudsters convinced him of earning substantial commissions for completing tasks. He lost Rs. 1.64 lakh in the process.

Finally, the eighth case involves B. Indu, a 42-year-old resident of Kuvempunagar, who was informed that she would receive a significant commission for sending screenshots of Amazon products. She ended up transferring a total of Rs. 2,03,400, only to be deceived.

All these cases have been registered at the city’s Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Crime Police Station and investigations are currently  underway.