Noida cops bust gang that duped over 200 people across India

PTI, Jan 12, 2022, 9:17 AM IST

Noida: With the arrest of eight people, the Noida Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang of cyber cheats that has duped hundreds of people across the country of crores of rupees in the name of insurance policies.

The gang, which included a woman also, had made around Rs 8 crore to Rs 9 crore since it started the con job five years ago and spent the duped money to purchase properties and maintain a luxurious lifestyle, police said.

They have recovered Rs 47 lakh in cash, jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh, 16 smartphones and over 80 Aadhaar cards from the gang besides impounding a Harley Davidson motorcycle and four four-wheelers.

The police have also found properties in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand bought by gang-members from the ill-gotten money and said these will be attached under the provisions of the Gangster’s Act.

“The gang has been busted by the Sector 58 police station team which had lodged an FIR in April 2021 on the complaint of a retired NTPC general manager. He had informed police that he had paid Rs 1.44 crore to the people in the name of premium for an insurance policy,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Rajesh S told reporters.

“Upon investigation it was found that the insurance documents were bogus and the retired general manager had been conned,” he said in presence of Additional DCP Ranvijay Singh and ACP Rajneesh Verma.

He said those arrested have been identified as gang’s mastermind Niraj Kumar alias Nikhil Pradhan, an MBA graduate, Amar Pal alias Ram Pratap alias Atal, an MCA graduate, Vikas Kumar alias A K Tripathi, Sohan alias A K Gupta, Sushil alias Sunil, Swati Sethia alias Preeti Tyagi, Shah Rukh Khan alias Rihan and Azharuddin alias Shambhu Nath. Joint Commissioner of Police Love Kumar has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 and DCP Noida Rajesh S has announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the Sector 58 police team which has busted the gang.

DCP Rajesh said the action was taken on the basis of a single FIR and during initial investigation police got to know that the gang targeted retired officials only.

“Some of the accused have worked in the insurance sector previously and had accessed data of such people. They would call up these people and target the gullible ones,” the officer said.

Police have tracked two families, one in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and the other in Pune, Maharashtra, which have been duped by this gang. More details from them have been sought and the police in these states have also been informed, he said.

Police officials said the gang is so far understood to have duped 200 to 300 people across the country including from the national capital region and states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The FIR has been lodged at the Sector 58 police station in Noida and further legal proceedings are being carried out, police said.