NEW DELHI: A gang of frauds was busted by the Delhi Police and seven people were arrested against whom more than 2,100 complaints were registered across the country, an official said on Friday. The accused, identified as Vikas (28), Ankit Yadav (26), Md. Raja a.k.a Sahil (26), Kanhaiya Kumar Mahto alias Praful Patel (19), Bihari Paswan (22), Md Suhail Ansari (26), and Ajeet Kumar Paswan (23), allegedly used to cheat people through their firm ‘Family Help’.
According to the police, a case was registered at the Shahdara Cyber Police Station on October 7 by a man who alleged that while looking to purchase an electric scooter online, he came across a website claiming to sell such scooters. After clicking on the link, the man obtained a contact number on which he made a call. The person with whom the victim spoke sent him various scooter models for selection.
He transferred a sum of Rs 1,15,560 to the individual associated with the website, however, after receiving the payment, the accused individuals ceased all communication. When he realised that he had been deceived through a fake website and fraudulent product, he approached the police.
“During the investigation, the police gathered the call detail records of the phone numbers involved, internet protocol detail records (IPDRs) of the online transactions, and IPDRs related to WhatsApp profiles,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rohit Meena. Following the analysis, a police raid was conducted in Jain Nagar, Karala, where four people, namely Ankit Yadav, Md. Raja Vikas and Suhail Ansari were discovered operating under the banner of a company known as ‘Family Help,’ which was owned by the accused Vikas and Md. Raja.
“The accused had registered the company as ‘Family Help’ to create websites, but in reality, they were using it as a front for fraudulent activities. They would create fake websites mimicking well-known brands like Ola Scooty, Patanjali, and others, to deceive people all over India, including states like Bihar and West Bengal, and earn a substantial income,” Meena said.
Analysis of devices recovered from the accused revealed that they had been involved in fraudulent activities for the past two years, directly defrauding over 2,100 people. A sum of over `4 crore has been traced to their accounts, and other accounts are surfacing as the investigation continues.