Three arrested in Gurugram for duping people by providing fake loans

The prime suspect, Praveen, operated the fake call centre from this house to lure people by pretending to provide easy loans

Updated on: Apr 28, 2024, 05:34:05 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Gurugram: The Gurugram Police have arrested three people, including two women, who were allegedly cheating people under the guise of providing loans using the ‘Pratibimb application’.

The suspects were running a small-time call centre to dupe people by claiming they could provide loans. Investigators said, 12 mobile phones were recovered from them, along with four ATM cards and nearly 1,000 fake loan pamphlets. (Representational Image)

According to the police, they were running a small-time call centre to dupe people by claiming they could provide loans. Investigators said, 12 mobile phones were recovered from them, along with four ATM cards and nearly 1,000 fake loan pamphlets.

A team from the cyber police station (south) arrested the suspects from a house in Sector 31 on Friday. The arrested suspects were identified as Praveen alias Rahul, a resident of Lodhar village in Jind in Haryana, Rachna Singh, a resident of Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Saloni Jaiswal alias Summi of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh.

The prime suspect, Praveen, operated the fake call centre from this house to lure people by pretending to provide easy loans.

Priyanshu Dewan, assistant commissioner of police (cybercrime), said that during questioning, the mastermind of the gang Praveen revealed that he along with his other associates cheated people by pretending to give loans in the name of Tata Capital.

“These people pasted posters of loans in distant cities and when someone contacted them for a loan, they cheated them by transferring money to different banks on different charges. The accused, Praveen, had hired both the women on a salary and commission basis to receive calls. We are questioning them,” he said.

Due to the surge in cybercrime cases, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs has developed the Pratibimb portal. Through this portal, real-time information about active cyber criminals in any area is provided to the police of that region. This enables the local police to take prompt action.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More