New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) Three men have been arrested for duping victims in southwest Delhi by offering money to post positive reviews of hotels and restaurants and laundering Rs 15.8 lakh to Chinese handlers through cryptocurrency channels, an official said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Mahender Singh Rajawat (25), Ariph Khan (25) and Laxmi Narayan Vaishy (23), were in direct contact with a Chinese national operating via an encrypted messaging app, he said.
The trio allegedly lured victims with small upfront payments for online review tasks, only to defraud them later under false pretexts such as welfare tasks, account unfreezing and credit score improvement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.
The gang routed the cheated money through multiple bank accounts, converted it into USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency and transferred it to China, he added.
"The case came to light following a complaint by a man identified as K Kant, who was duped after responding to online offers promising money for posting positive reviews of hotels and restaurants. Initially paid small sums to gain his trust, the victim was later manipulated into transferring over Rs 15.8 lakh on various pretexts," the DCP said.
Police raids were conducted in Jaipur, Ajmer and nearby areas to identify and apprehend the suspects.
Rajawat was the first to be arrested, and subsequent raids led to the arrests of Khan and Vaishy. During questioning, it was found that Khan and Vaishy were in touch with a Chinese national who provided instructions.
They would receive funds in various accounts, withdraw the amounts within minutes, and convert them into cryptocurrency, which was transferred via platforms, police said.
Rajawat, in coordination with another suspect named Sarvesh, who is currently absconding, facilitated the final conversion and international transfer of funds, the DCP added.
Six smartphones used in the crime were recovered during the operation. The devices contained incriminating evidence, including chat histories, cryptocurrency transactions and contact logs of foreign handlers.