Noida: 10 arrested for cheating people in the name of GST
For delivering freebies, they would tell people that they have to pay 28% GST (goods and services tax). While the shopped goods were delivered to the customers, the freebies were never sent to them.
Ten people, including a woman, were arrested on Wednesday for operating three fake call centres and cheating people of money after offering them free gifts on shopping.
The arrests were made after the police conducted searches at four call centres — one of them were closed while the three others were functional.
The searches were conducted following the confession of one Pawan Mishra, who was arrested on Sunday on charge of cheating people and luring them with shopping offers. He was arrested after a complaint was filed by a Chennai resident who was allegedly cheated of Rs 27,000.
After his arrest, he allegedly told police about the other call centres which followed a similar modus operandi.
The accused men would offer gadgets — a Samsung or Sony LED TV , Dell or HP laptops, Samsung smartphone and LG washing machines — as gifts. They would offer these “gifts” to gullible victims on purchase of goods for over Rs 3,000.
Senior superintendent of police Love Kumar said, “For delivering freebies, they would tell people that they have to pay 28% GST (goods and services tax). While the shopped goods were delivered to the customers, the freebies were never sent to them.”
Police said these three firms found customers living in southern states to be soft targets by virtue of them being far from Noida. They believed that the victims would not bother to come to Noida to pursue the matter with them or file a police complaint, the police said.
The 10 persons were arrested from three centres in Sector 2 and Sector 3 in Noida. The premises have been sealed.
Two of the accused were identified as Sachin, a resident of New Ashok Nagar in Delhi, and Nandan Ram, of Kaimur, Bihar. Sachin, operated two websites, PPHR Online and shopkarts.
Both sites offered a variety of electronic products and artificial jewellery. Nandan Ram operated a website fashionondeal.com and sold similar items.
Another accused Sonu was running a call centre — Today Shop — in Sector 3.
Police said these call centres were operational for the last one year. “These people had a similar modus operandi and would target people from southern states,” said Love Kumar.
Police have seized 40 CPUs, 25 desktops, 28 intercoms, 24 keyboards, one laptop, one pen drive, six UPS, nine fashion ornaments, nine wrist watches, two mobile phones, four routers and Rs 20,000.
