The police’s economics offences wing said it had arrested five members of a gang, including a woman, for allegedly duping an 85-year-old Sector 19 resident of Rs 80 lakh after assuring her financial security if she invested money in various insurance schemes. They have been identified as Rajesh Kumar, the gang leader, Pardeep Rana, Vishal Kumar, Sandeep Kumar and Tamana. A case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation) & 120B (criminal conspiracy) was later filed against the suspects under the IPC at Sector 19 police station.
Sources said the victim, Ved Chug, was lured by the gang members who masqueraded as life insurance agents or club members offering various financial schemes into handing over the money in installments.
Police sources said a group of the fraudsters first contacted Chug on February 3 last year and managed to persuade her to invest Rs 50,000 in an LIC scheme, later asking for another Rs 1 lakh to supposedly get more benefits. Adopting the same modus operandi, they took Rs 14 lakh more from her as “second installment”. After she realised she was being taken for a ride she told her servants to catch hold of the suspects when they next arrived at her home. A “compromise” was later struck.
One of the woman’s family members said she suspected the involvement of a former Sector 19 police SHO and other cops. She said the matter was brought to the notice of Sector 19 police station officials but they had asked Chug to “arrive at a compromise” with the suspects.
{{/usCountry}}One of the woman’s family members said she suspected the involvement of a former Sector 19 police SHO and other cops. She said the matter was brought to the notice of Sector 19 police station officials but they had asked Chug to “arrive at a compromise” with the suspects.
{{/usCountry}}Operated from Noida, ‘local office’ in Sec 8
The police claim that though the gang members operated from Noida they set up an “office” in Sector 8 and even hired girls for calling up at least a hundred people every day to explain their “investment schemes”. They added the fraudsters obtained numbers from a firm providing a phone number database.