Delhi Man Cheated Of Rs 4.29 Lakh In Fake Crypto Investment Scam, 6 Arrested

A six-member interstate cyber fraud syndicate allegedly involved in a task-based scam and fake cryptocurrency investment fraud has been busted with the arrest of its members from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.The accused allegedly cheated a Delhi resident of Rs 4.29 lakh by luring him with fake online promotional tasks, promising high commissions and attractive returns through a bogus cryptocurrency trading platform, they said.According to the police, the victim was initially added to a group by fraudsters posing as representatives of a digital marketing company. After paying small commissions to gain his confidence, the accused shifted him to a another group where he was persuaded to invest larger amounts in promotional tasks and a fake cryptocurrency trading platform."The fraudsters displayed fictitious profits and repeatedly induced the complainant to transfer money through multiple UPI IDs and bank accounts. When he sought to withdraw the amount, they allegedly claimed that his trading account had been frozen and demanded additional payments for account activation and withdrawal processing," a senior police officer said.After realising he had been cheated, the victim filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, following which an e-FIR was registered at the southwest district.During the investigation, police analysed bank records, UPI transactions, call detail records, ATM CCTV footage and other digital evidence to trace the financial trail."The probe first led the team to Jaipur, where alleged mule account holder Suresh Kumar Yadav and account facilitator Pooran Mal Yadav were arrested. Further investigation revealed that part of the cheated money had been withdrawn from ATMs in Indore, leading to the arrest of Arshan Mohammad and Gufran Quereshi, who allegedly withdrew the cash," the officer said.Police later arrested Abhijeet Patidar and Aryan Rathore, alleging that they facilitated bank accounts used to receive the defrauded money. Six mobile phones containing incriminating chats were seized. Further investigation is underway, police said.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)