A 36-year-old man, Abdul Sahith, has been arrested by the Puducherry Cyber Crime police for defrauding people of over Rs 1 crore in a series of online scams. Sahith, a resident of Kottakuppam, Puducherry, originally hailing from Saram, used social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to lure victims by promising discounted prices on expensive goods.
Over the past four years, Sahith targeted over 20 individuals from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, offering items like televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines at half the market price. Many unsuspecting victims transferred money through Google Pay, only to either receive incomplete orders or nothing at all.
One of the victims, Raja, an employee at a courier office in Mudaliarpet, transferred Rs 13 lakh to Sahith for the promised goods but received nothing in return. Sahith allegedly blocked Raja’s number eight months ago after the payment.
Further investigations revealed that Sahith also ran scams offering low-cost resort leases, illegal travel arrangements to France, and even jobs abroad. His victims ranged from office workers and painters to electricians and bricklayers. Police have uncovered that four other individuals were involved in his fraudulent activities, and the number of victims is expected to rise as the investigation progresses.
Acting on multiple complaints, the Puducherry Cyber Crime police arrested Sahith in Kottakuppam. He was presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and has been remanded to judicial custody.
S Bascarane, Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime), revealed that online fraud in Puducherry has caused losses exceeding Rs 40 crore this year alone. Investigations are ongoing to apprehend the others involved in the scam.
