CHANDIGARH: The State Cyber Crime Division of Punjab Police has arrested the prime accused for running a fake website impersonating the official website of the Mining Department of the Punjab Government.
The accused generated 2,000 counterfeit receipts and forms, facilitating the movement of vehicles involved in illegal mining. This resulted in a loss of around Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh to the state exchequer.
Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said on Monday that the accused, Gaurav Kumar from Kharar in SAS Nagar, had created an exact replica of the official Mining Department website ‘minesgeologypunjab.gov.in,’ impersonating it as ‘minesgeologypunjab.in.’
The accused created the fake website in November 2024, and it remained operational until January 2025.
Yadav said the fake slips even included a Bar/QR code similar to the official mining website, allowing vehicles to pass security checks meant to curb illegal mining.
The initial investigation revealed that the accused, in connivance with a person from Ferozepur, generated over 2,000 fake mining receipts, causing an estimated loss of Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakh to the Punjab government exchequer, he added.
He said the website backup, along with data containing details of fake receipts, images of vehicles, mining material sources and destinations, and the computer systems used in the offence, has been recovered. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full nexus, he added.
Sharing more details, Additional Director General of Police, Cybercrime Division, V Neeraja said the investigation began after a complaint was filed by the Chief Engineer of the Mining Department, alleging that the official website had been compromised and a fake website was being used to facilitate illegal mining activities.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the fake website was registered and hosted on GoDaddy, a US-based domain provider, she said, adding that Cybercrime officials, in coordination with GoDaddy’s legal authorities and various Internet Service Providers, traced the website’s creation to accused Gaurav Kumar.
She said police teams led by DSP Cybercrime Simranjit Singh obtained information regarding the IP addresses and mobile numbers of the accused and conducted raids at different locations, leading to Kumar's arrest. Police teams have also identified another accused involved in the scam, and raids are being conducted to nab him, she added.
Neeraja further revealed that records recovered during the investigation indicated that most of the fake mining forms generated were linked to Navyug, a firm based in Ludhiana.