In a startling case of cyber fraud, Justice M. Sasidharan Nambiar, a former judge of the Kerala High Court, has lost ₹90 lakh to a sophisticated online scam. The incident came to light after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Hill Palace police station.
According to the FIR, Justice Nambiar was lured into transferring the substantial sum into a bogus share trading app. The invitation to the scam came via a WhatsApp group named “Aditya Birla Equity Learning Group.” Members of the group promised him an exorbitant return of 850% through online share marketing.
The transactions occurred swiftly over a period spanning from December 4 to December 30, 2024, by which time Justice Nambiar realized he had fallen victim to a scam. The report identifies two individuals, Ayana Joseph and Varsha Singh, as the primary suspects in orchestrating this fraudulent scheme.
Legal charges have been pressed under Sections 316(2) for criminal breach of trust and 318(4) for cheating of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, which pertains to cheating by impersonation using computer resources. The authorities are currently investigating the matter, seeking to apprehend the culprits and uncover further details about this deceptive operation.
