A 40-year-old senior consultant with a multinational information technology firm in Ghatkopar has filed a cyber-fraud complaint after losing Rs 35.71 lakh to an organised online scam run through a bogus trading platform.

Ironically, the complainant, Rajesh Desai (name changed), is a seasoned technology professional who handles large-scale digital systems for a living. But in October, he was drawn into what appeared to be a legitimate investment opportunity when his childhood friend introduced him to an online group called A2-Systematix. The group, he was told, specialised in “block trading” and used advanced market analysis to generate high returns. The name sounded like a well-known brokerage firm, Systematix Group, which however is not connected.