Nationwide fake website, cheating syndicate busted, seven arrested

New Delhi: The Shahdara Cyber Police Station has dismantled a nationwide fake website and cheating syndicate, leading to the arrest of seven accused persons in Delhi-NCR and Bihar.

This significant crackdown comes in response to an extensive investigation into a case involving the Family Help website, which defrauded victims across the country, the officials said on Friday.

The accused persons have been identified as Md Raja alias Sahil (26), Vikas (28), Md Suhail Ansari (26), Ankit Yadav (26) all four are residents of Delhi, while, Bihari Paswan (22), Ajeet Kumar Paswan (23) and Kanhaiya Kumar Mahto alias Praful Patel (19) are natives of Bihar. Rohit Meena Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shahdara said that the case, registered under Sections 420/467/468/471 /120(B)/34/201 IPC, was initiated on October 7, based on a complaint filed by Vijay Pahwa.

The complainant was on a quest to purchase an Ola electric scooty online when he stumbled upon a fraudulent website, http://energy.simpleone.online, offering electric scooters. The website provided a contact number, and after reaching out, the complainant was promised the purchase of the scooter. He was presented with various scooter models and fell victim to the scam, ultimately paying Rs 1,15,560 to the fraudsters. Subsequently, the accused individuals ceased all communication.

Later, a dedicated team of cybercrime experts, led by ACP Sanjay Kumar (SHO Cyber Police Station), Shahdara, was formed. This team, comprised of SI Nandan Singh, HC Amit, HC Amit, and Ct Saurabh, meticulously collected Call Detail Records (CDRs) and Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDRs) and analyzed WhatsApp profiles involved in the fraudulent transactions. Following careful scrutiny, a raiding team was assembled and conducted a raid at Jain Nagar, Karala, Delhi, leading to the apprehension of four key members of the gang, Meena confirmed.

In addition to the four individuals arrested in Delhi, a second raid was conducted in Warsiliganj, Bihar, leading to the apprehension of three more members of the gang.

This operation has revealed the staggering extent of the gang’s activities, with over 2,100 complaints linked to their fraudulent schemes and more than Rs 4 crore traced to their accounts. Investigations are ongoing, and efforts to locate additional members of the gang are underway, Meena added.