Maharashtra: Three from Rajasthan held for creating fake social media account of Nagpur CP

Representational Pic/File

Three men from Rajasthan have been arrested for allegedly creating a fake Facebook account in the name of the Nagpur police commissioner and duping a man of Rs 24,000, police said on Saturday.

A team from the Nagpur police on Friday apprehended the accused from Alwar district of Rajasthan and brought them to the city, an official said.

According to the police, the accused created a fake account in the name of Nagpur police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Facebook and sent the complainant a friend request.

Ganpati Aagman in Mumbai

1 year agoWEBSTORY

The accused posed as a CRPF officer and initiated a chat with the complainant, during which they offered to sell him household appliances at subsidised prices, the official said.

The complainant agreed to buy the appliances for Rs 24,000 and transferred the amount to the accused. The appliances, however, were never delivered and the accused could not be contacted, he said.

A case under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act was registered, the official said.

Following the arrest, the police have frozen Rs 1.23 lakh in the trio's bank account, and seized four mobile phones and bearer cheques, he said.

The accused have been identified as Surendra Pritam Singh (28), Taufik Khan Fateh Nasib Khan (25) and Sampatram Shribansilal Prajapati (33), all residents of Alwar, the official said.

Meanwhile, a multitude of cyber fraud incidents have hit the city, resulting in a significant number of daily cases filed in Mumbai. The city police have compiled a list of the top 15 prevalent frauds in Mumbai, and dedicated cyber teams are actively addressing these issues. However, the detection rate for these frauds remains below 10 per cent. The police recognise that enhanced infrastructure, the adoption of advanced technology, and the recruitment of well-trained officers are what could effectively combat these cybercrimes.

Based on official data from the Mumbai police, there have been 1,909 reported cases of cyber fraud in Mumbai from January to May of this year. Of these, only 200 have been successfully detected, resulting in the arrest of 295 individuals. This data highlights the significant gap between the number of reported cases and the detection rate, indicating the need for further improvements in the investigation and prevention of such crimes. According to the Mumbai police, the city has been plagued by several major types of cyber fraud.

(with PTI inputs)