Ex-CBI Officer's Wife Loses Rs 2.58 Crore To Cyber Fraud

In a shocking case of cyber fraud, the wife of former CBI Joint Director and retired IPS officer VV Lakshmi Narayana was allegedly swindled of Rs 2.58 crore by online scammers. The fraud, orchestrated under the guise of high-return stock market investments, took place between December 24, 2025, and January 5, 2026.

The victim, Urmila, who resides in Banjara Hills, reported the matter to the cybercrime police after realising the investment platform she was using was a sophisticated trap.

The fraud followed a meticulously planned strategy involving social engineering and psychological manipulation.

In November, Urmila received a WhatsApp message promising massive profits from stock market trading. She was added to a group titled "Stock Market Profit Guide Exchange 20".

A person identifying himself as Dinesh Singh acted as a financial guru. Knowing Urmila had limited trading knowledge, he convinced her that investing through their platform could yield up to 500 per cent returns.

To build trust, a female accomplice named Priyasakhi and other group members shared fake screenshots of massive profits they had supposedly earned, creating a false sense of urgency and legitimacy.

Following their instructions, Urmila downloaded an application called "MCKIEY CM" from the Apple App Store. Over the course of 12 days, she transferred Rs 2.58 crore across 19 different transactions. To fund these investments, she reportedly mortgaged her own gold jewellery as well as jewellery belonging to her husband.

The fraud came to light when Urmila saw substantial "profits" reflected in the app but found the withdrawal option disabled. When she questioned the group, the scammers pressured her to invest even more money to "unlock" her funds. Realising she had been trapped, she immediately approached the Hyderabad's cybercrime police.

The cybercrime police have registered a case and initiated a technical investigation.

Preliminary findings suggest the money was quickly dispersed into multiple "mule" bank accounts across the country to avoid detection. The scammers used forged SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) certificates to appear legitimate.

The authorities are currently working to freeze the remaining funds in the linked accounts and identify the location of the perpetrators.

The police have issued an urgent warning to the public following this high-profile case that they must verify apps and know that SEBI-registered brokers do not operate through random WhatsApp groups or obscure apps.

Any promise of "500 per cent returns" or "guaranteed profits" is a red flag for a scam. If you are a victim of cyber fraud, call 1930 or report it at within the "golden hour" to increase the chances of freezing the stolen funds.