Saturday, 23 NOVEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The cybercrime police station of Uttarakhand’s Special Task Force (STF) apprehended an accused from Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, for duping a Dehradun resident of Rs 84 lakh. The accused, identified as Durgesh (29) hailing from Kasganj, allegedly lured victims through fraudulent advertisements on social media platforms such as Instagram, the deputy superintendent of police of STF cyber crime police station Ankush Mishra said. He informed that promising high returns on investments in stock trading and initial public offerings (IPOs), the perpetrator gained the victims’ trust and convinced them to transfer substantial sums of money. Victims were asked to open accounts on fake websites posing as reputable entities listed under an NSE company. These fraudulent websites displayed fake profits, deceiving victims into investing more money. In this case, the victim was manipulated into depositing Rs 84.7 lakh into multiple accounts under the pretext of lucrative returns, Mishra said. He informed that the victim had registered a complaint in October 2024 after which STF launched an investigation and analysed mobile phone numbers, WhatsApp chats, bank account details and other digital evidence. The accused used fake IDs and frequently changed locations to evade detection. He informed that after extensive technical surveillance and data analysis, the police tracked Durgesh to Kasganj. He was arrested along with a mobile phone used in the crime, which contained SMS alerts linked to the fraudulent bank accounts. The investigation is ongoing, he added. He also urged the public to remain vigilant against enticing offers promising quick wealth. He advised all citizens to avoid investments in suspicious schemes or platforms without proper verification and report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station or the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930.
