A man has allegedly lost over ₹14 lakh after falling prey to an online investment scam in Surathkal.

The complainant, Irfan, a resident of Surathkal, holds bank accounts in several banks in Udupi district. In August last year, he began receiving multiple online phone calls from unidentified persons. One of them, identifying himself as Vishal Rao, introduced Irfan to an investment scheme promising high returns.

As instructed by the caller, Irfan created a login ID and transferred money to various bank accounts provided by the accused. Between August 3 and November 29, Irfan transferred a total amount of ₹14,07,025 to different accounts.

However, neither the invested amount nor any profit was returned, following which Irfan realised that he had been cheated. A case has been registered at the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station, and an investigation is underway.