A cyber fraud gang accused of cheating people of crores of rupees in the name of the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme has been busted in Greater Noida, with six men arrested after police traced the operation to a rooftop hideout in Sector 1 and uncovered a scheme built around fake social media advertisements and false promises of subsidised home loans.
Fake Government Scheme Pitch Used to Trap Victims
The action was carried out by a joint team of Bisrakh police station and the cyber cell in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Police said the gang ran fake advertisements on Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms, using Aadhaar card and PAN card related visuals to make the promotions appear credible.
The advertisements claimed that subsidised home loans at very low interest rates would be made available under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme. Once a person clicked on the advertisement, a mobile number would be provided. The accused would then contact the prospective victim while posing as officials linked to a government scheme.
Police said the gang won the confidence of victims and then demanded money in the name of file charges, processing fees, GST and other supposed formalities. The operation appears to have relied on the use of official sounding language and government scheme branding to create trust before any loan or subsidy process had actually begun.
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Raid Leads to Six Arrests
Police said the raid was conducted on May 13 on the basis of confidential information and manual intelligence at Krishna County Tower A in Sector 1. Six accused were arrested from the rooftop location during the operation.
The arrested men have been identified as Dharmraj Rathore, Ravi Kumar, Krishan Rathore, Akshaya, Kiran Nayar and Kiran Babu Rathore. All of them are stated to be residents of the Vijayapur and Bijapur areas of Karnataka.
Investigators said questioning revealed that the accused allegedly collected between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh from each victim by getting the money deposited into different bank accounts. Once the money was received, the accused would switch off their mobile numbers and sever contact. Police believe the gang cheated people across the country in this manner and carried out fraud running into crores of rupees.
Mobiles, Registers and Financial Records Seized
During the operation, police recovered 18 keypad mobile phones, six smartphones and 15 registers linked to calling data. The registers are said to contain information about possible victims, bank account details and call records.
Police said the gang operated in a careful and concealed manner. The accused allegedly used keypad phones to hide their identities and kept changing SIM cards so that their location could not be easily traced. Investigators now suspect that the network may not be confined to Uttar Pradesh and could have links in several other states.
Officials said police teams are now trying to trace the alleged mastermind and other associates of the group. They have also urged the public not to trust advertisements linked to government schemes without first checking official websites and verifying the information with the concerned department. The case underlines how fraudsters are increasingly using the names of legitimate welfare programmes to target unsuspecting citizens online.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
