BHOPAL: Bhopal cyber crime branch has arrested five people for duping a grain merchant of Rs 45 lakh, said police here on Tuesday. The gang in the name of a fake export company used to cheat the traders who showed interest in doing grain business with them. The gang used ‘just dial’ portal to choose their targets.
The police recovered goods worth Rs 19 lakh from the accused. Deputy commissioner of police, Sai Thota, while talking to media here on Tuesday said that the Bhopal-based trader in his complaint had stated that SM Export Company had made a deal to sell 1250 tonne wheat to him. The company had asked him to deposit Rs 45 lakh in different accounts in the name of transportation and packaging bags. The trader transferred the said amount, however, the company failed to provide grain against the payment it received.
On failure to receive any positive response from the company, the trader on December 3 filed a police complaint. During the investigation, police took the help of a technical team and zeroed in on the cyber crooks. Police conducted searches in Lucknow , Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal and Gwalior in home state and arrested five persons involved in the fraud.
Describing their modus operandi, the DCP said that kingpins of the gang, Anshu Singh and Gopal Somwanshi tracked the callers on ‘just dial’ web page. The gang would target the trader who used to place inquiries about grain sell/buy on ‘just dial’. They would then contact the seller and inquire about the quantity and then accordingly place the order. Thereafter they would call traders interested in buying the grain and ask them to visit the seller’s godown to check the stock. Finally when the trader agreed to buy the grain, they would ask him to deposit the amount for transportation and bags purchase.
The accused have been identified as Gopal Somwanshi, Anshu Singh, Deepak Kumar, Yogesh Kumar and Vivek Vikram Singh, all residents of Uttar Pradesh.
The accused had even purchased a car worth more than Rs 10 lakh from the proceeds of the amount they received from the traders. Police have seized six mobile phones, 12 SIM cards, 13 ATMs cards, two cheque books, Rs 2.10 lakh in cash, a newly purchased four wheeler. They had Rs 6.88 lakh in different bank accounts, which the police have sealed..
