4 arrested in ₹21 lakh PNG bill cyber fraud case in Greater Noida

Noida police arrested four men for defrauding a 62-year-old of ₹21 lakh by posing as gas company reps and gaining access to his bank details.

Noida:The Cybercrime Branch police arrested four men on Thursday for allegedly duping a 62-year-old man worth ₹21 lakh by posing as representatives of a piped natural gas (PNG) company, police said on Friday.

A team was formed to trace the money trail. Police said after three months of investigation, four accused, all residents of Bisrakh, were arrested on Thursday in Noida. (Representative photo)

Police said the victim filed an FIR at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), following which a case of cheating and impersonation under the BNS and the IT Act was registered at the Cybercrime Branch police station on March 9.

The complainant, a resident of Greater Noida West, alleged in the FIR that, “On March 1, I received a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a representative of IGL, who told me that my bill was due.”

The caller then sent him a link and asked him to fill his details, including the bank details. The fraudsters then got unauthorised access to his bank account, broke the fixed deposit (FD) and siphoned off ₹21.26 lakh in 11 transactions, the FIR read.

A team was formed to trace the money trail. Police said after three months of investigation, four accused, all residents of Bisrakh,were arrested on Thursday in Noida.

Vijay Rana, station house officer (SHO), Cybercrime Branch said,“Probe revealed that the accused provided their bank accounts to cybercriminals in return of10 to 20 per cent commission. The accused received fraud money into their accounts.”

The SHO added, “Efforts are underway to nab other people involved in the crime.”

Meanwhile, the Cyber police advised people not to click on any suspicious link for bill payments or KYC and verify the details of any caller claiming to be a representative of a bank or any other company.