New Delhi, April 9 Four cyber fraudsters have been arrested for allegedly running a multi-city racket to defraud people by posing as travel agents offering discounted air tickets, an official said on Thursday.
The police recovered Rs 47 lakh in cash and a Mercedes S-Class car, among other items, from the possession of the accused, the official said.
The accused have been identified as Mridul Joshi (35), the mastermind; Himanshu Anil Sharma (24); Gaurav (20); and Rakesh (52).
"The syndicate was operating across Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai, targeting victims through social media platforms and fake travel booking services," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said in a statement.
According to the police, the case came to light after a complaint was lodged at the Cyber Police Station in the Southwest district on April 7. The complainant alleged that his brother, based in Canada, was cheated of Rs 3.8 lakh while attempting to book flight tickets from Toronto to Delhi through a social media page offering discounted fares.
The victim was contacted via a US-based number and persuaded to transfer money on the assurance of confirmed bookings, which later turned out to be fraudulent. A team was constituted to probe the matter and analyse digital footprints, call detail records, and financial transactions.
Investigators traced the operation to a coordinated network spanning multiple locations. Police said Joshi was running the operation from Patel Nagar in Delhi and had set up a fake call centre in Goa to target victims. He arranged mule bank accounts from Mumbai to route and withdraw the cheated money.
"Raid were conducted at several locations, leading to the arrest of Joshi and the recovery of Rs 47 lakh in cash, a Mercedes S-Class car, seven mobile phones, two laptops, a point-of-sale machine, and a WiFi router from his possession," the DCP said.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Sharma from Maharashtra's Palghar district, who was involved in supplying mule bank accounts. Two other accused, Gaurav and Rakesh, were also apprehended for providing bank accounts used to siphon off funds.
Police recovered additional mobile phones, fake SIM cards, ATM cards, and banking documents from the accused.
"The racket operated through a website and social media platforms, luring victims with attractive discounts on international flight tickets. Payments were collected under false assurances, and the accused used multiple accounts to layer transactions," the officer said.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the syndicate may have duped several victims across the country, with around 19 complaints registered on the national cybercrime portal involving transactions of about Rs 25 lakh. Further investigation is underway to identify other members.