Mohali, Dec. 1 -- Zirakpur police have registered a case against a local couple for allegedly cheating multiple people of over Rs.1.81 crore by promising unusually high returns through a trading scheme. The accused couple have been identified as Sugandha Sharma and Saurav Sharma. According to the FIR, complainant Manjit Singh met the accused through acquaintances in November 2021 who introduced them as individuals involved in profitable trading activities. Manjit initially refused to participate, but his wife, who is a business development head, later invested Rs.50,000. The couple allegedly returned the initial amount with profit, which helped them gain the family's trust. The complainant stated that this pattern continued, and several people in their circle also approached the accused and invested money on the assurance of similar returns. The accused reportedly claimed they operated an equity-trading-based company and could generate substantial profits. Over time, Sugandha and Saurav allegedly collected a total of Rs.1,81,60,000 from the complainant and others. Manjit told police that the investors continued depositing money in the hope of better returns, as the accused initially maintained regular contact and gave timely assurance. However, once the amounts increased, the couple allegedly stopped responding to calls and failed to return the invested money. After repeated attempts to contact them failed, the complainant approached the police. Based on his statement, Zirakpur police registered a case under Sections 316(2), 318(2), and 61(2) of the BNS. Police said an investigation is underway to trace the accused and verify the number of people who invested money with them. Authorities are also examining the financial trail and the nature of the trading activity the couple claimed to run....