A fraud involving 405 people and an alleged loss of ₹12 lakh 20 thousand 246 has come to light in Kairana in the name of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Police have arrested Sonu, a resident of the Nanauta area of Saharanpur district. He allegedly posed as a block officer and promised villagers government assistance of ₹2.80 lakh to convert their kutcha houses into permanent structures. He allegedly collected money from them in the name of file charges and other fees.
The case came to light after Mehtab, a resident of Jandheri village in Kairana, filed a complaint on July 18. He told police that Sonu, a resident of Bhari Deendarpur village, had visited his village. The accused allegedly introduced himself as a block officer from Shamli and promised Mehtab ₹2.80 lakh in government assistance under the housing scheme to help convert his kutcha house into a permanent house.
According to the complaint, Sonu collected ₹960 online and ₹5,000 in cash from Mehtab in the name of file charges and other expenses required to process the scheme benefit. After taking the money, he allegedly assured Mehtab that the government assistance would soon be credited to his bank account.
Police registered a case following the complaint and began investigating. As the probe progressed, investigators found that the alleged fraud was not limited to one victim. The accused had allegedly targeted a large number of villagers using the same method. Police arrested him on Saturday.
Allegedly Obtained Beneficiary Details From Government Website
Police investigation revealed that the accused allegedly obtained beneficiary lists and related information from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana website. He would then visit villages and approach people living in kutcha houses who were likely to be interested in receiving housing assistance.
The accused allegedly introduced himself as a government official and assured villagers that they would receive financial assistance worth lakhs of rupees to construct permanent houses. He then allegedly collected small amounts of money in the name of preparing files, verification and other formalities.
According to police, the alleged fraud also involved sending fake mobile messages. After collecting money, the accused would allegedly send victims a fake text message stating that ₹2.80 lakh had been transferred to their bank accounts. This reportedly led victims to believe that the government assistance had actually been credited.
Single Complaint Leads to Wider Fraud Network
After the investigation began into the ₹960 online payment and ₹5,000 cash allegedly taken from Mehtab, police expanded the probe and started identifying other potential victims. Investigators have so far found that 405 people were allegedly defrauded of a total ₹12,20,246.
Police are now investigating how the accused obtained beneficiary information and whether anyone else was involved in the alleged fraud. Transactions involving money collected from victims, mobile numbers used by the accused and the fake messages sent to beneficiaries are also being examined.
Investigators are also trying to determine how many people received fake messages claiming that government assistance had been credited and how many victims actually paid money to the accused.
Police are examining whether beneficiary information obtained from the government scheme website was misused for any other fraudulent activity. Further action will be taken based on evidence emerging during the investigation. The accused has been arrested, while the investigation into the alleged fraud network is continuing.
