Two persons were arrested for allegedly duping gullible people by selling fake airline tickets at cheaper rates, the police said on Thursday.

The arrested, identified as Salman Siddiqui and Rohit Ghanekar, are said to be part of a larger network, it added.

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According to the cops, the fraud came to light following a complaint lodged by one Rajeev Chopra, a resident of Bhagat Singh Park who was tricked into transferring Rs 47,681 after responding to a social media advertisement for a cheap Delhi-to-Toronto flight.

“After contacting them on a number provided in the advertisement, which turned out to be a virtual number, he was persuaded to share personal and payment details. The fraudsters booked dummy tickets and vanished once the money was received,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Nidhin Valsan in a statement said.

Investigations have revealed that the accused used virtual numbers to make calls, fake social media pages mimicking genuine travel agencies and phishing techniques to ensnare unsuspecting customers, the DCP mentioned.

The police claimed to have recovered 12 mobile phones, three laptops loaded with digital evidence, 22 debit and credit cards, six cheque books, passbooks, three SIM cards, four WiFi routers, a WiFi pod, a tablet, and a stamp used for creating fake documents.