'Diplomats derail online fraud investigations'

Kondhwa resident Mohammad Taher Jumbo (22) stands little chance of recovering the Rs 7 lakh that he lost in an international online lottery fraud. This is despite the fact that he has done his bit to fight the menace by lodging a complaint at the Kondhwa police station on Saturday.u00a0

Sudam Chaure, the cyber cell coordinator of Pune Police, explained, "Diplo-mats manage to suppress or derail investigations that can have an adverse effect on the reputation of their countries. Though these frauds involve various international operators, it is only the Africans who get blamed."u00a0

Just two arrests
Sanjay Tungare, in charge of the cyber cell in the Pune Police Commissionerate, said, "It is worth noting that only two people have so far been arrested for offences related to online lottery fraud in the last six months."

Rohas Nagpal, founder president of the city-based Asian School of Cyber Laws said, "About 99 per cent of such cases go unsolved because of their international nature." A police operation to trap a lottery fraudsters' gang on Sunday was reportedly aborted following pressure from diplomatic sources. Cost accounts professional Jeetendra Deshmukh, who had tipped the police about the scamsters, said, "My cop friend asked me not to pursue the case as it would not only prove to be long-winding but I would face great pressures from the high and the mighty."u00a0u00a0

Gang of four
Jumbo's FIR mentions a gang of four who operate under names of real people without their knowledge. "The fraudsters stole identities and emails of other people from social websites to convince Jumbo to part with the money," Chaure said.u00a0

According to Tungare, netizens should exercise caution while surfing andu00a0 refrain from responding to queries from strangers. "When you receive a marketing email, never give your personal details. Also do not post your real details in social networking websites," he advised.