As thousands of devotees across India gear up for the sacred Char Dham Yatra, cybercriminals are exploiting their faith by creating fake websites and social media pages offering helicopter ticket bookings to Kedarnath Dham. In response, the Uttarakhand Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has launched an aggressive crackdown on this growing menace.
Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and under the guidance of DGP Uttarakhand Deepam Seth, STF is executing one of the country’s most sustained cybercrime clean-up efforts. Leveraging coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the operation has blocked hundreds of digital assets used by fraudsters.
In 2025 alone, the STF has:
- Blocked 51 fake websites/URLs
- Reported and disabled 111 fraudulent mobile numbers
- Frozen 56 suspicious bank accounts
- Reported and blocked 30 WhatsApp numbers
These actions have prevented hundreds of pilgrims from falling victim to sophisticated scams.
Inside the Operation: Officers, Platforms, and Digital Policing in Action
The credit for the proactive enforcement goes to a dedicated team led by SSP STF Navneet Singh, supported by DySP Ankush Mishra, Inspector Devendra Nabiyal, and SI Ashish Gusain. The STF has been conducting round-the-clock surveillance and legal action against cybercriminal infrastructure with daily monitoring directly overseen by SSP Singh.
Key to the success has been a multi-pronged strategy:
- Legal Notices to Meta: DIG Law & Order Dhirendra Gunjyal, appointed as the nodal officer under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, has been continuously issuing legal takedown notices to Meta, compelling removal of fraudulent content.
- Meta Coordination: Thanks to close coordination with Meta’s Nodal Officer Ashwin Madhusudan, several scam Facebook pages and paid ads were successfully removed.
- Cross-platform targeting: WhatsApp, bank portals, mobile service providers, and hosting services have all been engaged to eliminate scam networks.
- Google’s past compliance: Building on 2024’s success, where STF efforts led Google to restrict ads related to “Kedarnath heli ticket booking,” similar policy changes are now being pursued with Meta.
STF DySP Ankush Mishra and SI Ashish Gusain have also worked extensively with I4C officials to ensure banks and telecom companies cooperate in identifying and shutting down fraud-linked assets.
Preventing the Next Scam: Policy Coordination and Public Awareness
This ongoing initiative isn’t just about enforcement—it’s also about building resilience and awareness. In addition to operational crackdowns, the STF is actively advocating for policy-level interventions:
- Letters have been sent to Meta to implement keyword-based ad restrictions, mirroring Google’s approach in 2024.
- Efforts are underway to implement algorithmic filtering of fraudulent content using AI moderation tools on social platforms.
Moreover, the STF issued a clear public advisory:
- Only IRCTC is the official helicopter booking partner for Kedarnath Dham.
- Avoid any bookings via Facebook ads or suspicious websites.
- If you come across fraudulent content or ads, report it to ccps.deh@uttarakhandpolice.uk.gov.in
- In case of cyber fraud, immediately contact the 1930 Cyber Helpline.
Acknowledgment and National Support
The STF has expressed special thanks to the I4C team for their ongoing support:
- Dr. Rajesh Kumar (CEO, I4C)
- Rupa M (Director, TAU)
- Rashmi Sharma Yadav (DCP, I4C)
- Rushi Mehta (Technical Head)
- Ashish Bhardwaj and other key officials
Meta’s representative Ashwin Madhusudan also earned praise for his technical cooperation and swift action in blocking harmful content.
A Safer Pilgrimage Through Vigilance and Collaboration
In a digital age where even sacred pilgrimages are not immune to cyber fraud, the Uttarakhand Police’s STF stands out as a model of digital vigilance and enforcement. Through relentless monitoring, inter-agency coordination, and rapid action, they are safeguarding the faith and finances of thousands of pilgrims.
With technology evolving, so too must the approach to law enforcement. The success of this initiative lies in its proactive leadership, platform cooperation, and public involvement — a triad that could set a benchmark for cybercrime prevention across India.