A 67-year-old man was duped of ₹2.17 lakh by cyber fraudsters who claimed he won a ₹5 lakh prize in Kerala lucky draw lottery.

The Hyderabad cybercrime police booked a case and initiated a probe into the matter.

About a week ago, the victim received an Instagram call from individuals posing as representatives of the lottery firm. The scammers convinced him that he had won the substantial prize and instructed him to deposit ₹2.17 lakh into multiple bank accounts as processing fee. The victim complied, transferring money to accounts held in the State Bank of India, IDFC Bank, and Union Bank of India over the course of three days.

After the payments were completed, the fraudsters abruptly ceased communication. The victim’s repeated attempts to contact them were unsuccessful, leading him to realise he had been duped.

Authorities have emphasised that no legitimate lottery organisation, including the Kerala lucky draw, requires winners to pay fee or share personal information to claim prize.

Victims can report such scams to the police immediately. The Kerala State Lotteries Department can also be contacted directly through their official helpline or website for clarification on any prize claims.