(MOREPIC1)Face2News/New Delhi
A team of Inspr. Satish Kumar, ASI Jeetraj Singh, HC Rajesh, HC Jagjeet, and W/Ct Nirma, under the supervision of Sh. Sanjeev Kumar, ACP/IFSO, Spl. Cell, Delhi, has busted an interstate racket of fraudsters who used to dupe innocent people by sending links on their WhatsApp in the name of shopping at BigBasket, DMart, and Blinkit. Thereafter, they would get the excess of the victims’ phones and steal the OTP. Two accused, namely Sonam r/o Hari Nagar Ashram, Delhi and Juned Akhtar r/o Sector 63, Noida, UP, have been arrested in this regard.
The facts of the case are that a complaint was received at IFSO, Special Cell, wherein the complainant alleged that he was surfing on Facebook, where he saw an advertisement regarding a lucrative offer available on BigBasket. Hence, he clicked on the tab “Shop Now” and followed the directions. Thereafter, an amount of Rs. 98,000/- was deducted from his credit card. A case vide FIR No. 246/2023 under the relevant sections of law was registered at PS Special Cell, Delhi, in this regard.
(SUBHEAD)During the course of investigation, an exhaustive exercise of identifying the money trail, CDR, and digital footprints was undertaken. On analysis of the money trail and the electronic records, it was found that the racket is spread across many states and is being operated in many tiers. The financial analysis revealed that in the alleged accounts, there are transactions worth more than 25–30 lakh rupees, and more than 15 victims have been duped by the gang.
During technical analysis, it was noticed that the accused persons had used fake SIM cards for tele-calling and fake accounts for receiving money. Through the extensive financial trail and technical analysis, the accused persons were found to be operating in the areas of Hari Nagar Ashram, Ghaziabad, Noida, and Meerut. The information was further developed through manual and electronic surveillance, and on 05.10.2023, acting on specific information, Sonam d/o Vimal Ballabh, r/o Hari Nagar Ashram, New Delhi, age 21 years, and Juned Akhtar, s/o Md. Yusuf, r/o Sector 63, Noida, UP, age 28 years, were arrested in the case.
Mr. Prashant P. Gautam, IPSm DCP/IFSO, Special Cell, Dwarka, Delhi, said, both the accused confessed their involvement in the crime. They further disclosed that they operate in tiers and usually do not meet with other members of the syndicate. They procure fake SIM cards to communicate and for tele-calling, and fake accounts for receiving the money and further rotation of money. They had duped many people so far and cheated to the tune of more than Rs. 25–30 lakh. So far, 15 complainants have been identified and linked with the alleged accused persons and accounts.
KNOW THE ACCUSED: Sonam was doing calling work at Raj Nagar Ext. along with the other suspects. She used to call the victims from fake mobile numbers. All the SIM cards and account details (in which the cheated money was credited) have been arranged by Shahrukh Akhtar. She used to send links on WhatsApp and tell the victims to download those links on their mobile phones. Thereafter, she would get the excess of the victims' phones and steal the OTP. She would take a 20% commission for the money collected by her work.
Juned Akhtar was providing bank accounts in the present crime and also used to withdraw cash through the ATM cards and deposit the cash in the personal bank accounts of Shahrukh Akhtar and his wife. He would also deposit cheated money in the bank accounts of Sonam and her family members at the direction of Shahrukh. The bank account involved in the present case was opened by him, and money was also withdrawn by him from different ATMs. He used to retain a 15% commission for the entire amount withdrawn by him.
The investigation of this case is still underway, and efforts are being made to identify the other suspects and collect incriminating evidence against the syndicate.
