Sunday, 15 January 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The cyber crime police of Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) have arrested a Nepalese Hawala operator from Delhi, who is allegedly a member of a cyber criminal group that perpetrated a scam of Rs 1,200 crore. The accused Yam Bahadur used to transfer the money collected through cyber fraud to other countries like Dubai and Nepal. Many other Hawala operators are also involved in the scam and STF has issued a look out circular for them too. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of STF, Ayush Agrawal informed that a Haridwar resident Rohit Kumar filed a complaint in cyber police station of Dehradun in September 2021 that he was duped of Rs 15 lakh in the name of investing in online trading from China. The authorities started the investigation and gathered details through mobile numbers and bank accounts used by scammers to dupe the victim. The investigation revealed massive money-laundering and Chinese connection in the crime and arrested one accused from Faridkot in Punjab near the Pakistan border, two from Bhopal and one from Rourkela in Odisha last year. The arrested accused are part of the gang that commits cyber frauds using fake websites created by their accomplices in the foreign countries to lure people to invest their money in the name of providing huge profits. He said that the STF also issued notice under section 41 (A) of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to a Mumbai based filmmaker for his alleged involvement in the scam. The cyber criminal group had established dozens of counterfeit companies across the country to scam people in the name of online trading. They have also transferred crores of rupees to other countries through crypto currency in the name of film screenings, said Agrawal. The STF teams also issued a look out circular against three accused in Delhi when they were investigating companies allegedly involved in the scam. The STF also obtained non-bailable warrants from court against the three accused. The SSP said that they have found evidence that shows the transactions of at least Rs 1,200 crore has been done through this cyber fraud conducted across the country. He said that as per the information gathered so far, the gang uses a website to lure people with the promise of giving huge profits in the sale and purchase of products like gold, spices, liquor and many other products. He said that the STF will soon nab remaining members of the gang too. He also appealed to the citizens to not indulge in any online investment to get quick profits without verifying the authenticity of the company.
