LUCKNOW, Feb. 1 -- Cyber fraudsters posing as stock market experts and investment advisors have duped at least four residents of Lucknow of Rs.1.28 crore by luring them into fake trading schemes through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, police said on Saturday. Inspector cyber crime police station Brijesh Yadav of the cyber police station said investigations are underway. The cyber police station has registered a case and initiated an investigation which officials said follows a familiar pattern of organised online investment fraud. Among the victims is Colonel (retd) Surendra Kumar Singh, a resident of Gomti Nagar Extension, who told police that he was added to a WhatsApp group on December 16, 2025. The group was allegedly run by a man identifying himself as Rakesh Kumar Jain, who claimed to be the MD and head of risk and compliance in the stock market. According to the complaint, group members shared screenshots of high profits and encouraged participants to invest small amounts initially. Singh alleged that he was persuaded to transfer Rs.23.10 lakh in instalments to different bank accounts. When he sought to withdraw the amount, he was blocked from the group. In another case, Gomtinagar resident Vishal Ojha said he was first contacted by a man named Yashwant in September regarding trading opportunities. After he declined due to commission demands, Ojha was later contacted by a woman identifying herself as Sanika Gokhale, who added him to a WhatsApp group promising high returns. Ojha alleged that he invested Rs.87.59 lakh, while the trading app showed profits of Rs.28.91 lakh. However, when he attempted to withdraw the funds, he was asked to deposit an additional Rs.1.77 crore. Aliganj resident Jyoti Tripathi alleged she was cheated of Rs.6.55 lakh after callers posing as IIFL share market analysts advised her to trade in futures and options. In a separate case, Suresh Rastogi claimed he lost Rs.11 lakh in an online work scam involving a fake wallet link shared via Facebook....