Two members of a cyber fraud gang have been arrested from Bihar for allegedly cheating pilgrims in the name of helicopter bookings for the Char Dham Yatra. Police said the arrests followed a week-long operation based on technical evidence, banking trails and mobile data analysis.
Fake Social Media Pages Used to Target Pilgrims
Police said cyber fraudsters have been exploiting the yatra rush through fake booking offers, prompting the Uttarakhand Special Task Force to intensify its crackdown on online fraud.
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Senior police superintendent Ajai Singh said Deepak Kumar and Vijit Kumar, both in their 20s, used fake Facebook and Instagram pages, along with WhatsApp, to lure pilgrims seeking helicopter tickets.
He said the arrests were made as part of the investigation into a case of cheating through fake helicopter booking.
Forged Tickets Recovered During Probe
During the probe, police recovered forged helicopter tickets allegedly provided by the accused to the complainant. Based on the recovery, additional sections related to forgery and use of forged documents were added to the case.
Police said the accused posed as authorised helicopter service providers and targeted pilgrims through social media and messaging platforms.
According to Singh, victims were lured with promises of VIP pilgrimage, instant ticket confirmation and limited-seat availability.
Mule Accounts Used to Move Cheated Money
Investigators found that the gang allegedly used multiple bank accounts opened in the names of different individuals as mule accounts.
“Our investigation revealed that the gang used multiple bank accounts opened in the names of different individuals as mule accounts. The cheated money was transferred into these accounts and later withdrawn through ATM cards,” Singh said.
The Special Task Force said bank accounts linked to the arrested accused were found to be associated with complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, indicating their possible involvement in cases across the country.
