Cyber fraud racket busted, kingpin among 2 arrested

Varanasi: The cyber crime police in Varanasi on Sunday arrested two members of an interstate
cyber fraud
gang, including its kingpin, for duping people under the guise of offering business franchises of reputed companies.
Producing the arrested duo before reporters, DCP (Crime) T Sarvanan said that the arrested accused have been identified as Sanjeet Singh (35) and Krishna Shaw, both residents of Kolkata. The police recovered 12 mobile phones, a laptop, multiple SIM cards, Rs 15,430 in cash, Rs 5.83 lakh frozen in a bank account, and a customer data diary from their possession.
During investigation, it was revealed that Sanjeet Singh was the mastermind behind the operations.
The racket came to light after Anil Kumar Singh, a resident of Bankat village in Lohata, filed a complaint alleging that cyber fraudsters had duped him of Rs 14 lakh on the pretext of offering a franchise of Adani Cement. Further inquiry revealed the gang's modus operandi involved creating or purchasing fake domains closely resembling those of reputed companies such as McDonald's, Dominos (Jubilant FoodWorks), JSW Steel, Adani Cements, KFC, and Haldiram.
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These counterfeit websites were promoted through social media advertisements, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, to target aspiring franchisees.
Once a potential victim showed interest, gang members would reach out using the collected leads and share forged documents, including letters of intent and approval letters, to gain the victim's trust. They would then demand payments under various pretexts such as registration fees, security deposits, and GST charges, which were transferred to accounts appearing to belong to the said companies. Police said the collected funds were later distributed among the gang members.

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