Gurugram police bust gang impersonating Korean firm officials to dupe people
Investigators will seek further data from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre to ascertain the total number of victims targeted by the gang
Three members of a gang operating out of a residential building in Sector 24, Gurugram, have been arrested for impersonating officials of a South Korean mobile phone manufacturing firm to dupe people across the country, police said on Saturday.
According to police, the suspects, identified as Mani Choubey from Kaimur in Bihar, Khushwant Goit from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and Rohit Singh from Seemapuri, Delhi, were apprehended following a raid conducted at around 4pm on Friday. Police said a mobile phone and a SIM card used in the crimes were recovered from Choubey’s possession who was running the gang.
Assistant commissioner of police (cybercrime), Priyanshu Dewan, revealed that the gang’s modus operandi involved monitoring social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), for users tagging the mobile phone manufacturer in complaints or issues. “If the suspects found that the user had disclosed their mobile phone number on the platform, they would contact them, impersonating firm officials. They would then dupe the victims by promising to send a new phone as a goodwill gesture or a gift,” Dewan explained.
According to police, investigators will seek further data from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre to ascertain the total number of victims targeted by them till now and since when they were operating. The arrested suspects are being interrogated to ascertain the number of victims they defrauded.
Mani Choubey, identified as the mastermind, would instruct victims to transfer money to bank accounts held by his two associates. “The gang withdrew the money for having fun in restaurants and other places and also for personal use,” said Dewan. The ACP added that the exact number of victims is still being determined, but they have defrauded several individuals across the country.
The gang’s activities came to light after two victims from Chandigarh and Paschim Vihar, Delhi, lodged complaints on the cybercrime portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre analysed the complaints and found that the same phone number was used to defraud both victims of approximately ₹37,000 in quick succession. The gang siphoned ₹13,499 from the Chandigarh victim and ₹23,899 from the one in Delhi. The number was traced to Sector 24, Gurugram, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
A mobile phone and a SIM card used in the crimes were recovered from Choubey. An FIR has been registered against the suspects under Section 318(4) (cheating or dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Cyber Crime Police Station (east) on Friday, based on a complaint filed by sub-inspector Manoj Kumar.