PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested two cyber criminals from Bihar for allegedly cheating pilgrims through a fake Char Dham helicopter booking scam. The arrested accused have been identified as Deepak Kumar from Nalanda district and Vijit Kumar alias Micky from Sheikhpura district in Bihar.
STF senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said that the accused used fake Facebook pages, WhatsApp numbers and websites to offer helicopter tickets for the Char Dham Yatra. “They lured people with promises of confirmed bookings, VIP darshan and limited seats. After receiving payments, they provided fake tickets to the victims,” Singh said.
During the investigation, the STF recovered five bank passbooks, a cheque book, two mobile phones, an ATM card, SIM related materials, Aadhaar and PAN cards, and other digital evidence. Singh said several complaints linked to the accused were found on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), indicating that the gang was involved in cyber fraud cases across different States.
The investigation also revealed that the gang operated through mule bank accounts and shared ATM cards and QR codes among its members. STF officials said the network appears to be active in multiple States and efforts are underway to identify and arrest other members of the gang.
The STF also found indications that some minors may have been involved in cyber fraud activities. Officials described this as a serious concern and said further investigation is being carried out.
The STF’s anti-helicopter fraud cell has so far helped block around 300 fake social media links and more than 100 suspicious WhatsApp numbers linked to helicopter booking fraud. “STF advised pilgrims to book helicopter services only through the official portal and avoid making payments through unknown social media accounts or WhatsApp numbers,” Singh said.
