PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force arrested two accused from Jaipur, Rajasthan on charges of duping a Nainital resident of Rs 90 lakh. The accused, identified as Santosh Kumar Meena and Neeraj Kumar Meena, reportedly lured the victim into investing in online trading and IPOs through WhatsApp groups, promising high returns, the senior superintendent of police STF Navneet Singh Bhullar said. He stated that the STF launched an investigation following a complaint filed by a victim from Nainital in September 2024.
The investigation revealed that they had defrauded the victim of about Rs 90 lakh by posing as representatives of a foreign company. The fraudsters created advertisements on social media platforms, which led users to join WhatsApp groups like J07 Future Capital Investment Management Group M.Stocks. Within these groups, pre-existing members shared screenshots showing alleged profits. The victims, believing in the authenticity of these transactions, transferred money to various bank accounts provided by the accused. Bhullar said that the investigation team traced bank accounts, registered mobile numbers, WhatsApp details and obtained data from financial institutions, telecom providers and social media companies. The analysis showed that the accused used multiple accounts to receive and transfer funds fraudulently, as per SSP.
He informed that both accused turned out to be the masterminds of the scam who were residents of Karoli district in Rajasthan. Multiple teams were deployed to track their movements and they were eventually apprehended in Jaipur late on Wednesday. During the arrest, officials seized five mobile phones, nine SIM cards, four cheque books, two debit cards, a passbook, two Aadhaar cards and a PAN card. The SSP said that the binitial inquiries revealed significant transactions in the accused’s bank accounts over the past five months. Complaints from different states have also been registered against them. The SSP has urged the public to remain cautious and report any suspicious financial schemes to the cyber crime police or dial 1930.
