Thane, Jan 6 (PTI) A 33-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Thane city allegedly lost Rs 26.88 lakh to fraudsters online who lured her to invest in Bitcoin, police said on Saturday.

Based on a complaint, an offence under the Information Technology Act has been registered at the Kapurbawdi police station, an official said.

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The complainant came across an advertisement on social media promising lucrative returns on investments in Bitcoin, he said.

The woman called the phone number given in the advertisement and as instructed by the caller, paid Rs 26.88 lakh in one year. She received updates about her account balance with a link supposedly enabling her to withdraw the expected returns, the official said.

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However, when the complainant attempted to withdraw the funds, she encountered difficulties and was unable to retrieve any money, he said, adding that an investigation had been initiated.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)