10 people arrested for defrauding Rs 88 lakh in the name of online investment

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru

The North Division CEN Police Station has arrested 10 cyber criminals who had duped a person from Mahalaxmi Layout of Rs 88 lakh. Based on the complaint of the person who was cheated, the police, who conducted an investigation, arrested Akash, Ravi Shankar, Prakash, Prajwal, Sunil, Suresh, Obala Reddy, Madhusudhan, Srinivas Reddy and Kishore Kumar. City Police Commissioner Dayanand said that 51 mobile phones, 27 debit cards, 108 bank passbooks, 480 SIM cards, 48 QR codes, 42 rubber stamps, 103 business and JST documents and 230 active bank accounts were seized from the arrested persons. The fraudsters used to send links to advertisements related to stock investment through Facebook, Telegram and other social media, luring people to double their money if they invested there. If they clicked on the links, WhatsApp group pages in the names of various companies would open.

They had tricked a person into transferring Rs 88.83 lakhs in stages by convincing them that they could earn more by installing an app called Brandy Speed and becoming subscribers. When a case was registered and an investigation was conducted, the fraud network of the accused came to light. The kingpins who are absconding in the case were contacting the arrested people from far-off countries including Dubai and Hong Kong. They were luring them with a commission of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 if they created a bank account and provided complete details. Police have informed that Akash, Ravi Shankar, Sunil, and Prajwal Prakash, who were greedy for money, were contacting the public, collecting their bank accounts under the pretext of investment and selling them to the absconding kingpins.

1,467 complaints have been filed on the NCRP portal in this regard, in which 1,467 complaints have been filed on the NCRP portal regarding scams that are being carried out across the country by collecting bank account details from the public and sending them advertisement links through social media, promising them that they can earn more money if they invest. 15 cases have been registered at the Sen police station in the city's north division. Police said that 10 accused have been remanded in judicial custody.