New Delhi: A 21-year-old engineering student was arrested from Pathankot in Punjab for allegedly duping 47 people on the pretext of providing ICU set up and oxygen cylinders at home for their COVID-19 positive friends and relatives, police said on Thursday.
The accused, Aryan Singh alias Dhananjay, is a resident of Noida, Uttar Pradesh and is pursuing B.Tech from a renowned institute there. With the money acquired from cheating people, he stayed at luxury hotels in Gurgaon, Noida and Jammu, police said
Fluent in English and a good communicator, he used Instagram to target his victims, police said, adding that he got the idea after receiving overwhelming response to a request for help that he posted on the photo and video sharing app. He also used the name of a well-known foundation to gain trust of the victims and requested them to visit the website for verification, police officials added.
His victims are from Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, Mumbai and other cities, they said.
The matter came to notice after one of the relatives of a coronavirus patient duped by the accused complained against on the COVID helpline.
The complainant alleged that he received a message on a WhatsApp group for setting up ICU facility at home and contacted the given mobile number where the receiver introduced himself as Dhananjay and directed him to deposit Rs 3,950 as advance rent.