Delhi Police arrests 3 members of gang from Gujarat for cheating people online

Subsequently, satisfied with the sample, the complainant placed a bulk order to that firm -- Avani packaging and Mica -- and paid Rs 3,89,400 in advance on February 19, the police said. However, the material was not supplied to the complainant and all the mobile numbers provided by the company were reportedly found switched off, police said.

The police have arrested three members of a gang from Gujarat which cheated people by persuading them online to buy packaging materials in bulk and disappeared after taking advance from them, officials said on Monday. The accused have been identified as Jitendra Kumar Chauhan (35), Parmar Dilipbhai (47) and Pawar Shyam (44), all residents of Ahmedabad, they said. The matter came to light in February after northeast Delhi-resident Nitin Jain lodged a complaint, saying he responded to an online advertisement of adhesives following which he received a call during which adhesive material was offered to him at a good price, police said. ''The complainant ordered a sample and made the payment. Subsequently, satisfied with the sample, the complainant placed a bulk order to that firm -- Avani packaging and Mica -- and paid Rs 3,89,400 in advance on February 19,'' the police said. However, the material was not supplied to the complainant and all the mobile numbers provided by the company were reportedly found switched off, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain said a police team conducted an enquiry during which all the payment details were verified from the respective banks. It emerged that the amount paid by the complainant had been withdrawn by the fraudster through cheque on the same day, the DCP said. ''Through technical surveillance, the location of the mobile phones used in the commission of crime was ascertained in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Accordingly, a case was registered on June 24 under section 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code,'' he said.

On July 22, based on human intelligence, a police team reached Ahmedabad and found the address given during the registration of the firm fake, he added.

''A raid was conducted in the Madopur police station area in Ahmedabad and a person named Pawar Shyam was apprehended,'' the DCP said.

During interrogation, he confessed to his crime and based on his disclosure, two of his associates were also arrested, police said. ''They revealed that after floating the company, they also got it registered with the GST to build up faith among their customers,'' police said. ''They gave advertisements portraying themselves in the business of bulk supply of packaging material at cheap rates. If someone showed interest, they provided them a sample at a very reasonable rate to lure then. ''Later, when the customer demanded items in bulk, they asked them to pay in advance and vanished,'' he said.

''All the mobile numbers used by them were also being switched off by breaking SIM cards,'' he added. Accused Shyam was also found involved in a case of cheating registered at Bari Brahmana in Jammu and Kashmir, according to records at a local police station in Ahmedabad, police said. Five mobile phone and nine SIM cards, 13 ATM cards of different banks, eight cheque books, two passbooks and other related documents were also seized, they added.