PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a accused from Ambala on Thursday who defrauded a Dehradun resident of Rs 1.17 crore. The accused identified as Baljeet Singh. The fraudsters posed as representatives of ASK Investment Managers Ltd. and contacted the victim through WhatsApp. They added him to VIP WhatsApp groups and asked him to download an app named “ASKICPRO” for stock market investment.
The accused showed a fake trading dashboard and promised high returns. Trusting them, the victim transferred money to different bank accounts through several transactions. When he tried to withdraw his profit, the fraudsters demanded an additional Rs 72 lakh as commission, which raised suspicion and exposed the scam.
According to the information, the case was registered in April 2025 and investigated by the Cyber Crime Police Station. During the investigation, police collected details from banks and service providers and traced the accused. The main accused, Baljit Singh, a resident of Ambala, Haryana, was arrested and brought to Dehradun under a court warrant.
Police said that the bank accounts used in the fraud had transactions worth lakhs of rupees within a short period and that cases related to these accounts have also been found in other states.
Senior superintendent of police (STF) appealed to the public to stay alert against online investment scams and so-called ‘digital arrest’ threats. He said no government agency sends arrest notices through WhatsApp. He advised people not to trust unknown investment links or high-return offers and to verify any online scheme before investing money.
