19 May,2023 08:05 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image used for representational purpose.
Twelve individuals have been apprehended by the Mumbai cyber police for their involvement in a multi-state gang that defrauded people of large sums of money through various online tasks, according to an official statement made on Friday.
The cyber police busted the racket while probing different cases of fraud registered at different police stations, the official disclosed, reported PTI.
In one such case registered at East Region Cyber police station, the complainant was duped of more than Rs 10 lakh between January 10 and February 10 this year, PTI quoted the official as saying. The accused had contacted the victim through WhatsApp and Telegram app and offered money for liking some videos on YouTube and had initially also paid the complainant, he said.
The fraudsters then asked the complainant to deposit money to get a new task promising more profits in return, following which the latter deposited Rs 10.87 lakh, the official said. The complainant then contacted the police when no money was returned to him, he told PTI.
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During the course of the probe, the police nabbed three persons from Jogeshwari area, the official said. Another person was duped of Rs 27.2 lakh after fraudsters promised him part-time job opportunities in March, while an interior designer from south Mumbai lost Rs 25.35 lakh in a similar fraud last month, he said.
As many as nine persons were arrested in connection with both these cases, the official said, adding that the accused originally hailed from Rajasthan. The cyber police's probe revealed that the accused were a part of a larger syndicate, and the accounts in which the victims deposited the money were linked to each other, he said.
While some of the accused worked independently, the high-ranking members of the interstate gang were connected with each other, the official said. The police are on the lookout for the main accused behind the racket, he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
