Police arrest man for QR code scam

NEW DELHI: The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a QR code tampering scam following an inter-state operation. Police said the fraud came to light after a complaint was registered at Cyber Police Station North. The accused has been identified as Manish Verma, a resident of Thali in Chaksu, Jaipur district of Rajasthan.

According to investigators, Verma allegedly diverted customer payments by manipulating merchant QR codes. An amount of Rs 1.40 lakh cheated from customers was traced to his bank account. Mobile phones seized during the arrest revealed over 100 edited and original QR codes, along with chats, screenshots and financial records, pointing to a wider fraud network.

The case originated from a complaint lodged on December 13 after a customer purchased a lehenga worth Rs 2.50 lakh from a reputed garment shop in Chandni Chowk. The complainant made two digital payments totalling Rs 1.40 lakh by scanning QR codes displayed at the shop. However, the shop management later informed the customer that no payment had been received in its official account, leading to the registration of an e-FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Following the complaint, police teams inspected the shop premises, verified billing and payment systems, and analysed the UPI transaction trail. Technical and financial scrutiny revealed that the payment had been diverted to a bank account in Rajasthan.

Based on digital footprints and bank records, the accused was traced and arrested. During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to editing genuine merchant QR codes using image-editing applications to replace bank details while keeping the appearance unchanged. Further investigation is underway to identify additional victims and linked transactions.