In a breakthrough against an organised cyber fraud network, the Mohali police has arrested three individuals from different locations in the Tricity area. The accused, all residents of Gujarat, were reportedly found in possession of Rs 21 lakh in cash, suspected to be linked to fraudulent activities.
The case came to light when a complainant approached the police, stating that he had been defrauded of Rs 15 lakh under the guise of investing in the share market through a fraudulent mobile application. When he attempted to withdraw his money, the app demanded additional funds. Upon expressing his inability to invest further, he was asked to provide Rs 15 lakh in cash. The fraudsters then gave him the contact details of a local person who would collect the money, leading to further investigation.
An FIR has been registered on April 2 under sections 318(4), 61(2), and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66 of the IT Act, at cybercrime police station in Mohali. Acting on the complaint, the police conducted a targeted operation, resulting in the arrest of the three accused. The following items were seized during the operation: Rs 21 lakh in cash, one Maruti Swift Dzire car, a Honda Activa scooter, a cash counting machine, and five mobile phones.
Mohali SSP Deepak Pareek said that the accused had been staying at separate locations in Chandigarh to evade detection. The individuals arrested are Patel Piyush Kumar, Neerajbhal H Patel, and Gohil Nikul Kumar, all residents of Mehsana in Gujarat.
According to the SSP, during initial questioning, the arrested individuals revealed that they had been operating this organised cybercrime network for the past three years. They were actively collecting and transferring approximately Rs 70-80 lakh in cash daily across the Tricity area (Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula).
