UDUPI: The district CEN Crime police have busted an interstate cyber fraud racket that created a fake Campa Cola franchise website to cheat unsuspecting applicants.
Two people from Bihar were arrested, and cash, laptops, and mobile phones worth Rs 6.15 lakh, were confiscated. The arrested accused are Dev Harsha, (20) and Chandan Kumar (29) both hailing from Nalanda district in Bihar. A police team carried out the operations in Patna and Bengaluru to trace and arrest the duo.
The team seized 10 mobile phones valued at Rs 97,000, four laptops worth Rs 68,000, and Rs 4.5 lakh in cash from their possession. The case began after complainant Avinash applied online for a Campa Cola franchise a brand owned by Reliance Industries through a website he believed to be genuine.
Later, he received emails and calls from the accused seeking documents and claiming his application was approved.
Trusting them, he shared his educational certificates, bank statement and Aadhaar card. The accused then instructed Avinash to make multiple payments towards “registration” and “product booking”. In total, he transferred Rs 5.72 lakh to various bank accounts.
When the suspects continued to demand more money, Avinash grew suspicious and realised he was cheated. Despite taking the amount, the accused neither provided the franchise nor returned the money. Following the complaint, a was registered at the Udupi CEN Police station under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and section 318(4) of the BNS Act.