4 held for 'mobile phone tower' scam

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Thursday arrested four persons, including a woman, for allegedly cheating over 100 people across the country of nearly R1crore on the pretext of installing mobile phone towers atop their homes.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Thursday arrested four persons, including a woman, for allegedly cheating over 100 people across the country of nearly Rs1crore on the pretext of installing mobile phone towers atop their homes. The arrested have been identified as Pramod Gupta (30), Babli Arora (26), Lala Dhika (34) and Pushpender Gupta (40).

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The gang operated from a house in Baljeet Nagar, where they had set up a call centre to contact customers.

They would advertise in newspapers for installation of mobile phone towers throughout the country. Gupta is the mastermind of the racket.

In 2009, he, along with his brother, was arrested in a murder case in Indirapuram.

Babli and her husband Harish were arrested in 2009 in Rajasthan in a similar case of cheating.

Sanjay Bhatia, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) said the arrest came following investigation into several complaints lodged against the gang. A team formed to collect information about the gang raided the house from where they were operating.

"The gang would recruit telecallers (to execute the scam) and sack them after two-three months, so that their misdeeds are not disclosed," Bhatia added.