Lucknow, (UNI) In a shocking case of cyber fraud, a youth from Lucknow was allegedly duped of over Rs 2 crore by online scammers operating under the guise of a gaming app, police confirmed on Tuesday.
The victim claims that the fraudsters manipulated, blackmailed, and even hypnotised him over a span of three years to extort the money.
The victim, Bhuri Singh, originally from Runakta in Agra, currently resides in Indira Nagar, Lucknow, where he runs a leather business. According to Singh, the ordeal began in 2022 when he started receiving WhatsApp calls and messages from unknown numbers.
The callers introduced themselves as representatives of an app named “SKY247”, claiming that users could double their money by playing games on the platform.
Convinced by their promises, Singh downloaded the app and initially transferred Rs 1 lakh from his bank account.
However, when he began to suspect foul play, he deleted the app. This, however, marked the beginning of a prolonged nightmare. The fraudsters allegedly began harassing him mentally, threatening him, and, according to Singh, even hypnotising him to gain control over his actions.
Between July 2024 and July 2025, the scammers reportedly managed to extort over Rs 2 crore from Singh through multiple transactions made to different bank accounts. When he demanded his money back, the fraudsters threatened to share his bank transaction records with the CBI and Income Tax Department to intimidate him further.
Following the incident, Singh lodged a formal complaint on July 15at the Cyber Police Station, Gomti Nagar.
Inspector Brijesh Yadav confirmed that an investigation is underway and that an FIR will be registered after a detailed inquiry.
