A 58-year-old senior railway official was allegedly duped of Rs 11.5 lakh in a sophisticated online trading scam after being added to a WhatsApp group that promised high returns on stock market investments, Eastern Cyber police said. The complainant, a station manager posted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), told police that the fraud took place between November 26, 2025, and January 11, 2026, while he was at his residence in Chembur.

According to investigators, the victim was added to a WhatsApp group titled ‘D1 Nadir Varma Teaching Exchange Community’. Several participants used international phone numbers and posed as experienced stock market experts. Police said the group members persuaded the official to download a trading application named PZENA INV through a Play Store link. He was then directed to register on an external website, where he allegedly shared his Aadhaar and PAN details. An online trading account was subsequently created in his name.