Doctor duped of ₹16.7 lakh by fraudsters posing as Motilal Oswal staff

A Hyderabad-based doctor was allegedly cheated of nearly ₹16.7 lakh by fraudsters who posed as executives of Motilal Oswal Financial Services and lured him into investing through a fake mobile app.

WhatsApp groups used to trap victim

According to a complaint submitted on behalf of Dr N V Ramana Rao, a resident of Adityanagar, Kukatpally, the doctor had travelled to US on September 4, 2025. Before leaving, he reportedly received an invitation link on WhatsApp on August 10, 2025, purportedly from Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

The link, sent by a person claiming to be a service manager using the number +91 900** ***65, led him to a group named D-09 DMA Customer Service. Later, another person identifying herself as “Aarushi Mehta” (using +91 955** ***69) added him to another group called D-88 MotilalOswal Direction and Pace – The Path to Possibility.

The complainant stated that the fraudster persuaded Dr Rao to download an app named “mo”, register his details and begin investing.

₹24.8 lakh transferred, only ₹8 lakh returned

Over several transactions, the doctor transferred a total of ₹24.8 lakh into bank accounts and UPI IDs shared by the fraudsters. Of this, he was able to withdraw only about ₹8.03 lakh.

The app allegedly displayed inflated “virtual profits” of nearly ₹30 lakh to gain his confidence. However, when he tried to withdraw the balance, the fraudsters demanded an additional ₹20 lakh. On making enquiries, the doctor realised he had been duped.

Complaint filed seeking action

The complaint named “Aarushi Mehta” and the WhatsApp groups as part of the fraudulent network. It alleged that the fraud caused a wrongful loss of ₹16.7 lakh to Dr Rao.

The complainant urged police to initiate legal action against those responsible.