DEHRADUN: As the Char Dham Yatra crossed the 25-lakh pilgrim milestone, with Kedarnath alone receiving a record 10 lakh devotees, Rudraprayag Police have intensified action against a surge of cyber fraud networks exploiting demand for helicopter tickets to the Himalayan shrine.
Capitalising on the overwhelming demand, cybercriminals have been operating sophisticated booking scams targeting pilgrims. In response, Rudraprayag Police have deployed a specialised “Cyber Combat Force” to dismantle these networks.
The task force has launched a large-scale digital sanitation drive, identifying and disabling 347 fake Facebook pages, 19 Instagram accounts, 30 fraudulent websites, and 189 WhatsApp or mobile numbers linked to illegal booking schemes.
Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police (SP) Neeharika Tomar told TNIE, "We have received 48 complaints regarding helicopter booking scams. To sever the financial lifelines of these criminal syndicates, we have placed legal holds on 118 bank accounts used to route illicit transactions."
The intervention has already yielded results. "Through swift technical action, we have successfully recovered and refunded Rs 1,12,968 to the victims," SP Neeharika added, emphasising that the department remains vigilant against those exploiting religious faith for monetary gain.
The district police have registered three formal cases at the Kotwali Guptkashi and Sonprayag police stations, leading to two arrests.
The crackdown forms part of a broader effort to secure the pilgrimage route.
So far this year, the district has processed 229 cyber-related complaints, of which 144 are under active investigation, and 12 FIRs have been registered for various cyber offences.
Authorities have issued a strong warning to pilgrims to use only official, government-sanctioned channels for bookings and to remain cautious of unsolicited offers on social media.
The “Cyber Combat Force” continues to monitor online activity to ensure the sanctity of the yatra is not compromised by digital predators.
"Through the 'Cyber Combat Force' we are further tightening the noose on cyber fraud criminals, which will be disclosed soon," added SP Neeharika Tomar.