A 74-year-old part-time teacher from Thane city has been swindled out of more than Rs 42 lakh in a case of cyber fraud, police said. The victim, employed at a convent school in Navi Mumbai, in December last year joined a WhatsApp investment group whose members promised lucrative returns on investments, they said.

"On December 14, 2023, he received a message offering assistance in share trading and promising substantial returns. Subsequently, he was coerced into making payments totalling Rs 42,15,000 (till February 6, 2024) to various accounts specified by three members of the group under the guise of investment opportunities," said Inspector Sandeep Dande of the Kapurbawdi Police Station.