A suspected cryptocurrency investment fraud linked to the FQL mobile app has prompted hundreds of complaints, seven arrests and street protests in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai and Dindigul districts. Around 500 residents in Melur and nearby villages told the Times of India they were defrauded, while residents in Natham said about 8,000 people invested nearly Rs 150 crore in the same or a linked scheme. Investigators say the app operated like multi-level marketing (recruitment-based selling) platform, converting deposits into cryptocurrency and promising that balances would double within a fixed period. The app stopped working about three months ago after operating for nearly one and a half years, leaving users unable to log in or withdraw funds. Police are tracing bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, identifying promoters and technical operators, and seeking transaction records from investors. The case follows several 2026 enforcement actions involving fake investment platforms and crypto-related fraud in India.