Monday, 19 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Dehradun cyber crime police station of the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested the alleged mastermind behind a Rs 32 lakh investment scam from Haridwar. The accused has also been allegedly involved in fraud in 19 other cases across 12 States worth crores of rupees, the deputy superintendent of police of cyber crime police station, STF, Ankush Mishra said. He informed that the accused, along with his gang, used to pose as employees from big companies, created fake websites, and convinced victims to invest in stock market schemes. In June 2024, a case was reported to the Dehradun cyber crime police in which the victim had claimed that he was added to a WhatsApp group where the criminals pretended to be employees of PIMCO Capital and Kotak. They instructed the victim to download a fraudulent app named Kotak Pro and encouraged investments in shares and IPOs through this app, leading to a loss of about Rs 32 lakh. Mishra said that the STF started an investigation under inspector Vijay Bharti, which involved technical analysis and evidence collection. The investigation led to the arrest of a 31-year-old resident of Faridabad, Haryana, near Yogi Ashram on Jamalpur Road, Haridwar. The police recovered a mobile handset with two SIM cards, one of which was linked to the bank account used in the fraud, the DSP said. He informed that the accused revealed during interrogation that his gang operated by creating fake company websites and contacting potential victims through WhatsApp calls and messages, offering returns on stock market investments. Victims were added to various fake WhatsApp and Telegram groups and instructed to download fraudulent apps for transactions. The criminals used an OTP-sharing app, HHSMS App, to share bank OTPs with other gang members, facilitating the scam. The arrested individual admitted to sharing photos of blank cheques, QR codes and debit card details with other gang members through WhatsApp, he added. Mishra appealed to the public to verify the authenticity of websites and contact numbers before engaging in financial transactions and to report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station or Cyber Crime Police Station.
