Ludhiana: Member of gang operating from Hong Kong lands in police net
The accused, identified as Viniket Sharma from Vidyadhar Nagar in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, was a major link for the gang in North India, they added
The cyber crime police of Ludhiana commissionerate arrested a key member of a gang of fraudsters operating from Hong Kong, officials said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Viniket Sharma from Vidyadhar Nagar in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, was a major link for the gang in North India, they added.
Sharma was nabbed for allegedly duping a doctor of ₹1.4 crore on the pretext of investments for quick and huge profits. This is the third arrest in the ongoing investigation.
The police produced Viniket Sharma before the court on Monday and he was remanded to two days in custody.
Cyber crime station-house officer inspector Jatinder Singh said that Sharma was arrested from Jaipur following a tip-off. The accused was frequently changing his location to evade arrest before he was finally arrested.
During questioning, Sharma disclosed he was part of a larger network and pointed towards the involvement of several others in the gang’s operations across India.
“Viniket confessed to arranging current accounts to receive money from their targets. He would pay the account holders rent for using their accounts,” inspector Jatinder added.
The inspector said that on May 22, Sarabha Nagar police registered a first-information report (FIR) against members of the gang under sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66D of the Information Technology Act following a complaint by one Dr Renuka Goel of Model Town, Bathinda.
Dr Goel, who is deputed at Government Hospital Bathinda, said in her complaint that she was duped of ₹1.4 crore by the gang under the guise of lucrative investment opportunities.
The complainant received a message from an unidentified number and was persuaded to invest money in various schemes. She was subsequently added to a “Telegram” group. Dr Goel transferred ₹1.4 crore to various accounts provided by the gang members but received nothing in return.
Inspector Singh added that soon after registering the FIR, police arrested two of the account holders for receiving money from the complainant. He said that more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
He said that the police have multiple unsolved cases where locals were duped using a similar modus operandi and the police are questioning the accused in connection with those frauds.