Gang from Rajasthan dupe electronic stores of ₹4 crore in Telangana; arrested

The accused would complete the purchase through UPI and raise a complaint to get back the amount.

Updated on: Sep 10, 2024, 06:06:05 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Telangana police on Monday arrested a 13-member gang from Rajasthan for allegedly conning a business establishment that runs electronics stores in Hyderabad to the tune of ₹4 crore. The gang would pay for their purchases through UPI and later raise a fraudulent transaction complaint with the bank to reclaim the money, PTI reported.

Suspecting fraud after such successive attempts, the showroom Bajaj Electronics lodged a complaint with the police at multiple locations in the state. (HT File)

The police Commissioner said ₹1.72 lakh cash and electronic appliances worth ₹50 lakh were seized from the gang.

The gang operated in two separate groups -one would remain in Hyderabad to carry out the purchases while their associated would remain in Rajasthan to complete the payment.

Also read | Over 95,000 UPI fraud cases reported in 2022-23: Centre in Parliament

Explaining the gang's modus operandi, police said their members would purchase high-value goods from the city-based showrooms. The gang members send the shop's QR code to their partners in Rajasthan to make the payment through UPI, the PTI report added.

After completing the purchase, the gang would sell the appliances in open market and share the profits. The member in Rajasthan would then raise a fraudulent transaction claim with the bank and reclaim the money paid for the appliance, police said.

Suspecting fraud after such successive attempts, the showroom Bajaj Electronics lodged a complaint with the police at multiple locations in the state.

After an investigation, police nabbed all 13 members of the gang, all aged between 20-25. The accused members include Som Raj, Sunil, Sharwan, Somraj, Shivalal, Ramesh, Shrawan, Pappu Ram, Shravan, Rakesh, Ramesh and Ashok Kumar.

Also read | Received money on your UPI app from a stranger? Here's what you should do next

UPI frauds

UPI based scams have been reported from multiple states over the past month. In July, Bhubaneshwar police said that they received nearly 2,400 cyber fraud complaints involving more than ₹36 crore. Most cases involved UPI fraud, and the accused were reportedly operating from foreign countries.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in June had unveiled a series of proposals aimed including the establishment of a Digital Payments Intelligence Platform. This platform, leveraging advanced technologies, aims to mitigate payment fraud risks and enhance the safety of digital transactions.

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HT News Desk
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