2 held in Rs 24L cyber fraud case

The Panchkula Police busted a cyber fraud involving more than Rs 24 lakh in the name of share trading. A team from the Cyber Crime Police Station, Panchkula, arrested two accused and recovered two mobile phones used in the offence.

Cyber Crime Police Station in-charge Yudhvir Singh said that on December 8, a Panchkula resident lodged a complaint stating that in November this year he was lured through a Google advertisement promising high returns on share trading. He was asked to download an app and, on the pretext of hefty profits, was persuaded to invest money in instalments. In this manner, the accused allegedly defrauded the complainant of a total of Rs 24,03,677 in a well-planned manner.

DCP Crime and Traffic Manpreet Singh Sudan said that a case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Panchkula, under Sections 316(2), 318(4), 336(3), 338, 340 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an investigation was initiated. During the probe, a team led by Sub-Inspector Bhup Singh arrested the first accused, Rajesh Kumar, son of Jeet Singh Chauhan, a resident of Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh and currently a tenant in Manimajra, Chandigarh, from Shimla on December 10. A mobile phone used in the cyber fraud was recovered from his possession. Investigation revealed that around Rs 4.3 lakh linked to this case had been credited to his bank account, while suspicious transactions worth about Rs 1.5 crore were found in other cases. The accused was produced before the court and taken on seven-day police remand for detailed interrogation.

Further investigation led to the arrest of the second accused, Naval Kishore Gurjar, son of Puranmal Gurjar, a resident of Piplod in Jaipur district, Rajasthan. A mobile phone was also recovered from him. It was revealed that he had received Rs 1.25 lakh as commission in the fraud. The first accused has been sent to judicial custody, while the second accused has been taken on five-day police remand and is being questioned.

DCP Manpreet Singh Sudan appealed to the public not to fall prey to unknown links, apps or online investment offers, and to immediately report any suspicious activity to the cyber helpline number 1930 or the Cyber Crime Police Station. Strict legal action will be taken against the offenders.