Ludhiana, March 12 -- A sophisticated investment fraud allegedly carried out in the name of vermicompost fertiliser production has come to light, with the Cyber Crime police station in Khanna registering a case against 11 accused, including five couples, for cheating investors of more than Rs.1.22 crore.

The accused have been identified as Kapil Sharma of Sahizada Ajit Singh Nagar, his wife Monika Sharma; Onkar Singh of Basant Avenue, Dugri, his wife Mandeep Kaur; Ajit Singh of Kharar, his wife Kulwinder Kaur; Vikas Malik of Uttar Pradesh, his wife Anuradha Malik; Parveen Kumar of Moradabad, his wife Dipri and aide DP Thakur.

According to police, the accused lured unsuspecting investors by presenting what appeared to be a legitimate agr...