In a significant breakthrough, the Noida police have apprehended six individuals belonging to a cyber fraud gang that allegedly duped people by promising loans under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). The arrests were made following a tip-off that led to a raid on the top floor of Krishna County Tower-A in Sector 1.
Details of the Arrest
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida) Kumar Singh confirmed that the raid resulted in the seizure of 18 keypad mobile phones, six smartphones, 15 registers, three pens, and other incriminating materials. The arrested individuals have been identified as Dharamraj Rathore (38), Ravi Kumar (26), Kishan Rathore (32), Akshay (28), Kiran Nair (21), and Kiran Babu Rathore (28).
Modus Operandi
According to police, the gang utilized social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to advertise services related to Aadhaar and PAN cards. Unsuspecting individuals who clicked on these advertisements were provided with a phone number that connected them directly to the fraudsters. The gang then lured victims with promises of subsidized home loans under the PMEGP scheme.
Financial Exploitation
The scam operated in a systematic manner. Initially, victims were charged a registration fee of Rs 3,000, followed by insurance and processing charges of Rs 18,000. Subsequently, the fraudsters demanded larger sums ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. The gang is suspected to have swindled several crores of rupees from victims across multiple states.
Legal Action
An FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for cheating and impersonation, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, at the Bisrakh police station. Police investigations revealed that the accused used multiple bank accounts to carry out the scam and frequently changed SIM cards to avoid detection. The mastermind behind the operation remains at large, and efforts are underway to trace the kingpin.
The police have urged citizens to exercise caution while dealing with unsolicited loan offers on social media and to verify the authenticity of any scheme before making payments.
