‘Invest, earn double’, this greed is old but even today there are no less people who fall into its trap. Same thing happened with a person living in Srinagar of Pauri Garhwal. Dreams of higher profits were shown, trust was won and within no time his Rs 1 crore 31 lakh went into different bank accounts. But this time the network of thugs could not escape the grip of Dehradun STF. The Special Task Force of Dehradun has exposed this entire gang by arresting three accused from Thane and Palghar in Maharashtra.
How was the trap laid?
The victim, a resident of Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal, was contacted and lured with extraordinary profits on investment. Initially, trust was built by showing good returns on small amounts. This is the oldest and tried method of cyber frauds. When the victim completely trusted, the amount kept increasing and a total of Rs 1 crore 31 lakh was deposited in different bank accounts.
When asked for the money back, the accused either kept evasive or disappeared. Then the victim lodged a complaint at Dehradun Cyber Crime Police Station.
STF solved the mystery like this
As soon as the case was registered, STF deployed special teams to search for the accused. During the investigation, the team searched the bank accounts in which the money was transferred. Also, digital tracing of email IDs and mobile numbers was done. Gradually each thread got resolved and the target came to rest on Maharashtra. The team raided Thane and Palghar and caught the three accused on the spot.
Who are the arrested accused?
The three arrested accused have been identified as Prateek Uttam Bafna (32 years), Ashish Kumar (27 years) and Mohammad Shrim alias Nasir (31 years). All three were presented in the court from where they have been sent to judicial custody. STF is now busy investigating their further contacts and networks.
SSP STF appeals to the public
SSP STF Ajay Singh has made a direct appeal to the people after this arrest. He said that never share any personal information on calls or video calls coming from unknown numbers. Be cautious of those who threaten digital arrest in the name of police, CBI or ED. No government agency makes arrests online. Stay away from Telegram or YouTube based earning schemes and never fall prey to high profits in short time.
He also said that if anyone suspects cyber fraud, then immediately call the helpline number 1930 or lodge a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in. The sooner the complaint is made, the greater are the chances of getting the money back.