In Short
- Two men arrested by Delhi Police for fake deals on smartphones.
- The accused managed to attract people with their claims about the affordable prices of electronic gadgets and the fake reviews.
- The cyber criminals lured people to pay them advance fee and then blocked them.
By Ankita ChakravartiIf you ever come across Instagram accounts selling iPhones and high-end phones at low prices, pause and think again before engaging with them. Chances are, these posts have been designed to deceive innocent users into paying an advance fee, only to disappear afterward. The Delhi Police have recently arrested people involved in cheating people with fake deals on expensive electronic items.
As per IANS report, two cyber criminals, including a final year BBA student, have been arrested by the Delhi Police for cheating multiple individuals through social media by offering to sell expensive electronic gadgets at unbelievably low prices. The police received a complaint from Akhilesh Gupta, who had fallen victim to these online fraudsters, and promptly registered a case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth), Ravi Kumar Singh, confirmed that after conducting an initial investigation, it was discovered that the complainant had fallen victim to a well-organized group of scammers who had made fraudulent promises. As the investigation progressed, the police analyzed the Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR) and successfully traced the scammers’ money trail to Panipat.
During a search operation, the police arrested Raghav, who had three mobile phones that were used in the crimes. As the investigation continued, another person named Aryan was arrested in Devi Sarai, Nalanda. Interrogation revealed that Raghav had found a fraudulent SIM group on Telegram and became a member. Within the group, he learned different scamming methods and connected with someone called Clashniks, who taught him how to sell expensive gadgets at low prices.
Subsequently, Raghav created an Instagram page under the ID “gadgets.world,” where he posted videos of customers providing positive reviews and unboxing products. He also created screenshots of satisfied customers’ conversations to give the illusion of excellent service. Raghav even obtained fake followers for the page through indiansmartpanel.com.
We personally checked the Instagram page of Gadgetsworld on Instagram. It is still there and the account is flooded with posts of a person selling iPhones and other high-end phones for as low as Rs 5000. All they do is ask people to pay advance in order to get the item delivered.
The cyber criminals managed to attract people with their claims about the affordable prices of electronic gadgets and the fake reviews. Raghav and Aryan created a WhatsApp account linked to the Instagram page and instructed interested buyers to contact them through WhatsApp for further details, the IANS report revealed.
When victims messaged on WhatsApp and selected a product to purchase, Aryan placed the order on Amazon and sent a screenshot to the customer showing the delivery address and status. However, prior to this, the accused had already received an advance payment of Rs 500. On the day of delivery, the victims were deceived with fake screenshots displaying “out for delivery.”
The Delhi Police’s swift action and investigation have successfully led to the apprehension of these cyber criminals, providing relief to those who fell victim to their fraudulent activities.
Jakob Auer
Cakra News
