Delhi Police on Tuesday dismantled a Rs 3 crore online fraud racket by arresting three individuals who were involved in duping people through fake investment schemes with suspected international and cryptocurrency links, officials said.
The police said that the matter came to light when a 64-year-old man, Suneet Kumar Suri, a resident of Vivek Vihar, was conned into investing Rs 2.25 lakh in a fraudulent scheme.
“He was added to a WhatsApp group named “NJ Elite Growth Plan 768” after being lured by misleading social media advertisements showing fake profit screenshots,” said Prashant Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara).
More money was demanded under the pretext of IPO deliveries, prompting the complainant to report the fraud, he added.
A team conducted technical surveillance and analysed bank transactions, IP logs, and WhatsApp communications.
With the leads gathered in this case, raids were conducted at multiple locations in Delhi, after which the officers got their hands on Ayush Koli, Sanjeev Kumar, and Akash.
Koli, a resident of Roop Nagar, operated an IndusInd account used in fraud, while Kumar, a native of Shalimar Bagh, provided fake accounts and operated WhatsApp chats linked to USDT crypto deals with Hong Kong-based contacts, the officer mentioned.
Meanwhile, Akash, from Shakurpur, used fraudulently obtained SIM cards to operate scam networks.
DCP Gautam said that the recoveries include three mobile phones, four laptops, a Paytm POS device, and incriminating digital evidence.
“WhatsApp chats from Sanjeev’s phone suggest links to Chinese nationals and crypto-based settlements, raising concerns about cross-border fraud operations,” the DCP said.
According to the officer, the further investigation is ongoing to trace additional accomplices, uncover the entire network, and recover the defrauded funds.