Ahmedabad: Seven persons were held from different parts of Gujarat and Mumbai for allegedly duping people across India. The seven persons were using websites and mobile applications being run by China-based entities to dupe the people, police said Monday.
Amit Vasava, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime), said it was a pan-India scam. People were arrested in other states as well in the past related to the scam. Vasava added that the modus operandi comprised running apps which offer lucrative returns on investment and shutting them down when victims had put in a sizable amount.
A Cyber Crime Cell release said the probe began after a resident lodged a complaint that he had lost Rs 80,000 after investing it in one such app.
The release, which identified the six arrested persons as Gujarat residents Yasin Qureshi, Dilip Gojiya, Dharmendra Rathod, Rahul Vadher, Jayesh Gagiya, Tushar Getiya and Mumbai resident Jiten Shah, said the fraud involved ensnaring people by sending them links and then showing the victim the amount invested in the wallet section of the app.
However, it said, when the investor tries to withdraw the money, the person is unable to do it as the app shows a ‘technical error’. Efforts to reach the customer service are futile, with the perpetrators shutting down the app and siphoning off the money using payment gateways.
Shah was the director of such a firm that had accumulated Rs 50 crore in its ‘payout bank account’ in a couple of months. The amounts were later siphoned off, while the other six accused mainly provided bank accounts for fraudulent online transfers in return for a commission of 1-3 per cent, the cyber crime cell release informed.