Belagavi man loses ₹21.94 lakh in online investment fraud - The HinduPublished - October 10, 2026 09:11 pm IST - HUBBALLIA 60-year-old Hindawadi resident has lost ₹21.94 lakh after falling for a YouTube advertisement promising high returns on stock market investments.The complainant, Kishor, told the Cyber, Economics and Narcotics (CEN) police that he came across the advertisement on June 20, which featured the name of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He registered through a link provided in the advertisement.A person identified as Sandeep Sharma later contacted him and added him to a Telegram group. Another person, Priyansh Sharma, allegedly collected ₹22,000 from him through PhonePe.The accused allegedly persuaded Kishor to invest more by promising higher returns and induced him to transfer money from his bank account in instalments through a website. Neither his investment nor the promised returns were paid, he alleged.The CEN police have registered a case and have taken up the investigation.Published - October 10, 2026 09:11 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }