PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested Ramanpreet Kaur from Punjab in Rishikesh’s Shyampur area for duping a Dehradun-based woman of Rs 40 lakh through cyber fraud. The accused posed as an official from a government agency and used an international WhatsApp number to contact the victim.
According to the senior superintendent of police of STF Navneet Singh Bhullar, the woman created fake WhatsApp profiles using American mobile numbers to gain the victim’s trust. She claimed to be involved in a gold business and convinced the victim to transfer large sums under the pretext of buying raw material. The victim, unaware of the deception, continued to transfer money over several transactions between May and June this year. Bhullar said that the investigators found that Kaur used multiple international numbers and different names for creating WhatsApp profiles. She operated several fake accounts and used digital platforms to carry out the fraud.
The cyber crime police station in Dehradun conducted the investigation and traced financial transactions through the bank accounts and mobile numbers linked to the accused. Data obtained from banks and digital platforms led to her identification and eventual arrest. The SSP informed that during the arrest, STF recovered two mobile phones with active WhatsApp accounts, two SIM cards, three debit cards and bank passbooks used in the transactions. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused’s bank accounts saw transactions of several lakhs in a span of just one to two months. Bhullar said that Kaur’s name has appeared in four cybercrime complaints registered in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The STF is coordinating with police departments in these states to gather more details. The SSP urged the public to stay alert and report suspicious messages or calls claiming to be from investigative agencies. He emphasised that no official from enforcement agencies contacts individuals on WhatsApp to issue arrest notices or collect money. People have been advised to avoid offers that promise high returns, franchise deals or other online schemes without verification. Complaints related to such fraud can be filed at www.cybercrime.gov.in or on the 1930 cyber crime helpline.
