Saturday, 17 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Gang duped people through investment in cryptocurrency: DSP
The cyber crime police station of Uttrakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested two interstate gang members from Jaipur in Rajasthan for allegedly duping a man of Rs 13.11 lakh by luring him to invest in cryptocurrency to earn huge profits. The accused have reportedly scammed several people across the country via such cyber frauds, said the deputy superintendent of police of the STF cyber cell police station Ankush Mishra. He said that the cyber crime police station received a case in which the complainant Vikram Kumar, who is mute too, filed a complaint against an unknown accused who initially claimed to be a ‘gift giving manager’ of Flipkart and asked him to like and subscribe to YouTube videos to earn quick money.
According to Kumar, he was later added to a Telegram group and was asked to invest money through online trading in cryptocurrency which he did by sending a total of Rs 13.11 lakh on different dates via various digital transaction mediums, as per Mishra. He said that the team started the investigation and found out after analysing the victim’s mobile and transaction history that the money sent by the complainant was transferred to bank accounts in Delhi and Jaipur.
After gathering more information and evidence about bank accounts and the accused, the STF went to Jaipur and nabbed the two accused identified as Santosh Kumar Meena and Suresh Kumar Meena on Thursday and took action against them under section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), said Mishra. He said that they are probing the accused to gather more information. He said that they have been receiving complaints about similar cases- ‘like YouTube videos’ and investment in cryptocurrency, a new and growing cyber crime where victims lose money and their personal information via phone data, which is shared further to lure others.
People must refrain from sharing screenshots of their transactions or internet activity (likes on videos) with anyone. One should not invest in any scheme based on internet calls and must physically verify the company rather than trust screenshots of other investors. In case of any cyber fraud, always file a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in or call at 1930 for financial cyber fraud, added Mishra.
