AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Police’s Surat cyber cell has arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly processing transactions linked to an online scam that defrauded a businessman.
The accused is identified as Aditya Pandey, while efforts are underway to trace the alleged mastermind, Arif, who is currently absconding.
A Surat businessman’s bid to earn easy money through social media allegedly turned into a costly cyber trap, with fraudsters first paying him Rs 150 for simple online tasks such as liking a post, before allegedly persuading him to invest money through a fake investment platform.
According to police, the fraud began on Telegram. After initially receiving the promised payments, the complainant allegedly gained confidence in the scheme.
The cyber cell DCP Bishakha Jain said the initial small payments were allegedly used to build the victim’s trust before the fraudsters pushed him towards larger investments.
Trusting the scheme, the businessman allegedly transferred a total of Rs 26.12 lakh. The fraud, however, came to light when he attempted to withdraw his money and failed, following which he approached the cyber cell and lodged a complaint.
“The complainant was first offered Rs 150 for reviewing or liking posts. After he received the initial payments, he was offered investment-based tasks with promises of profits and withdrawals. A total of Rs 26.12 lakh was collected, but when the complainant tried to withdraw the money and failed, he realised that he had been cheated,” Jain said.
Police said Pandey had allegedly come in contact with Arif through Telegram.
“Aditya Pandey allegedly provided his bank account to Arif in exchange for a 3% commission. Four cybercrime complaints from across India are linked to this account, and Arif is currently absconding. Efforts are underway to arrest him,” the DCP said.
During the investigation, the cyber cell traced the money trail to Pandey’s bank account and arrested him.
The investigation has also revealed transactions worth over Rs 3.51 crore through Pandey’s bank account, raising suspicions that the account may have been used in multiple cyber fraud cases.
According to information available on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), police found complaints linked to the account from other states as well. The police said four complaints were linked to the account, while Jain cited the total fraud amount linked to the account at around Rs 1.97 crore.
With one accused now behind bars and the alleged mastermind still on the run, the Surat cyber cell is investigating the wider network behind the Telegram-based investment fraud and examining whether more victims and bank accounts are linked to the racket.
