Cyber Cell arrests fraudster for scamming buyers on OLX and Facebook marketplace

NEW DELHI: The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested an individual for cheating people under the pretext of purchasing items on OLX and Facebook Marketplace.

The police were informed about the fraud through a complaint registered at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

The accused was identified as Kanhaiya Singh (29), a resident of Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

According to the Police, on February 3, Avmeet Kaur from Safdarjung Development Area lodged an online complaint on the NCRP portal. She reported being cheated out of Rs 75,000 while attempting to sell furniture on Facebook Marketplace. The alleged fraudsters contacted her and convinced her to transfer the money under the pretext of purchasing her items.

Following a preliminary inquiry, an FIR under Section 420 of the IPC was registered, and an investigation was initiated by PS Cyber/SWD.

The investigation team adopted a dual approach, focusing on both money trails and technical leads.

It was discovered that Rs 20,000 of the cheated amount was credited to a FINO Bank account belonging to Bharat Singh from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and Rs 55,000 to an IndusInd Bank account also linked to Bharat Singh.

The total amount was later transferred to an IndusInd Bank account held by Nandini Raj in Burari, Delhi. However, the addresses associated with these bank accounts turned out to be fake. Further analysis of call detail records (CDR) and IMEI searches linked the fraudulent activity to mobile numbers used by Kanhaiya Singh and another suspect, Saurav, from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

On June 13, a police team of the Delhi Police led by Sub-Inspector Ramesh Yadav, under the guidance of Inspector Vikas Kumar Buldak and supervision of ACP Devender Kumar Singh, conducted raids in Bharatpur and surrounding areas. After extensive surveillance, Kanhaiya Singh was arrested at Deeg Police Station based on technical evidence.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the co-accused, Saurav, also known as Kala.

The police recovered two mobile phones and one SIM card from Kanhaiya Singh. Additionally, five related complaints were found on the MHA Portal, further implicating the arrested individual.