A YouTube advertisement promising high returns on share trading and IPO investments allegedly led a 63-year-old retired banker to lose over Rs 1.35 crore in a well-planned cyber investment scam involving WhatsApp groups, a fake trading application and multiple bank accounts, police said.

According to the complaint, the woman came across the ad in November and clicked on a link, after which she was added to a WhatsApp group posing as an investment community linked to a reputable broking firm. The group administrators claimed assured profits through call options, mutual funds and IPOs, citing the firm’s alleged participation in an international financial event. Police said members were promised weekly payouts of Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 and daily returns of up to 10 per cent. To build trust, the victim was asked to download a trading app that showed immediate profits after an initial investment.