Delhi Police busts cyber fraud syndicate duping people via fake HSRP booking websites

New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a cyber fraud syndicate that duped more than 1,000 people across the country under the pretext of booking High Security Registration Plates (HSRPs), an official said on Wednesday.
     Police said that two people, Rishabh Gupta (25) and Kapil Tyagi (35), both residents of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested.
     "Over 1,000 complaints related to this scam were registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The accused created multiple fraudulent websites offering fake HSRP booking services," said the police official.
     These websites were promoted through paid advertisements to appear as genuine portals, following which victims were lured into making advance payments ranging from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 for registration plates.
    HSRPs are special number plates which have several security elements to enhance vehicle security and prevent fraud.
     "The payments were routed through UPI QR codes linked to bank accounts opened with forged documents and fake identities. The accused frequently rotated (money in between) these accounts to avoid detection," said the police officer.
     The cyber fraud came to light following the registration of an FIR in March. A team from the police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit was formed to investigate the matter, which led to the arrest of Gupta on June 11.
     "Gupta revealed that he was responsible for creating and managing the fake websites. He also disclosed that the operation was led by Kapil Tyagi, who has a prior criminal record. Tyagi was subsequently arrested," said the officer.
     Police said they had recovered five mobile phones, one laptop, nine debit cards, a bank passbook and digital records of multiple QR codes, which the accused had used to carry out the fraud.
     Police said that the accused used to withdraw the collected funds in cash after routing them through a chain of mule accounts.
     Efforts are underway to trace other associates, the official added.
     BM AMJ
AMJ

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)