15% Monthly Returns Bait: Pune Family Allegedly Cheated of Rs 4.5 Crore in Trading Fraud
Pune, 27th October 2026: A woman and her family were allegedly cheated of crores of rupees after being lured into investing in stock and forex trading through artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms, with promises of guaranteed monthly returns of 15%. The alleged fraud took place between July 2025 and August 2026 in Gahunje in Maval taluka.
A 32-year-old woman from Gahunje lodged a complaint on Friday against individuals associated with two trading applications, Mahatrade and Tradeway. The accused allegedly promoted the platforms and persuaded investors to put money into stock and forex trading by promising minimum daily returns of 0.70% and guaranteed monthly profits of 15% through AI-driven transactions.
According to the complaint, the woman invested a total of Rs 87.26 lakh, including Rs 32.38 lakh in Mahatrade and Rs 54.88 lakh in Tradeway. Of this amount, Rs 19.39 lakh was returned, leaving Rs 67.86 lakh allegedly outstanding.
The complaint further stated that the woman’s family members were also persuaded to invest substantial sums. Her father, mother and sister collectively invested Rs 5.01 crore, of which Rs 1.52 crore was returned. The remaining Rs 3.49 crore, including the promised returns and principal amount, was allegedly not repaid.
The complaint alleges that the accused cheated the woman and her relatives of crores of rupees by exploiting promises of high, guaranteed returns through AI-based trading. The identities of the accused and further details of the police action were not available in the report.
