Panchkula: Fourth accused in Rs 1.5 crore fake online trading scam arrested from Rajasthan
Three other accused are already in judicial custody
In a major breakthrough in a cyber-fraud case involving Rs 1.5 crore, the Cyber Crime Police Station, Sector 20, Panchkula, has arrested a fourth accused from Rajasthan. Three other accused are already in judicial custody.
The arrest was made by a team led by Sub-Inspector Bhoop Singh in connection with a fake online trading racket. The case came to light after a complainant reported on the cyber portal that he had been contacted via Telegram and lured into investing in a purported foreign trading company. The fraudsters allegedly used fake IDs and a bogus trading platform to convince the victim to transfer lakhs into multiple bank accounts.
Following the complaint, the cybercrime police launched a technical investigation, analysing bank accounts, mobile phone numbers and digital transactions. During the probe, Vishal Kumar, a resident of Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, was arrested.
The police recovered 15 ATM/debit cards, 19 cheque books, five mobile phones and documents related to various bank accounts from the accused. Investigation into the bank details revealed transactions amounting to nearly Rs 5 crore linked to cyber fraud. Vishal Kumar had previously been jailed in a cyber-fraud case in Tamil Nadu.
The accused was produced before a court which sent him to four days’ police custody. Efforts are underway to trace other members of the network.
The cybercrime police have urged citizens not to invest through unknown links or Telegram/WhatsApp groups and to verify the authenticity of any platform before investing. People have been advised not to share banking or OTP details with anyone. In case of cyber fraud, complaints should be lodged immediately at helpline 1930 or via www.cybercrime.gov.in.
