In a significant breakthrough, the Bhopal Police arrested six individuals for their involvement in a cybercrime scheme where they impersonated the Bhopal Police Commissioner on Facebook to cheat unsuspecting victims.
The scam came to light when Mahesh Kumar, a Bhopal resident, filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Branch on November 5, 2024. Kumar reported that he had received a message on Facebook Messenger from a user named ‘Hari Narayan,’ whose profile picture featured the Bhopal Police Commissioner, Hari Narayanchari Mishra. The message offered lucrative deals on old furniture. Believing the offer to be genuine, Kumar transferred Rs 45,000 via a QR code sent to him.
Upon receiving Kumar’s complaint, the Cyber Crime Branch registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS for cheating by personation and dishonesty. The investigation led to the arrest of the primary accused, Akash Namdeo, from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. Further inquiries revealed that the fraudsters were operating from multiple locations, including Alwar in Rajasthan.
The gang had set up a fake Facebook profile using the photo of the real Bhopal Police Commissioner, Harinarayanachari Mishra, to impersonate him. They would then contact victims, offering fake furniture deals at lower prices. After enticing victims with the offers, the criminals would convince them to transfer money into fake bank accounts.
The investigation uncovered that Namdeo was responsible for fraudulently activating SIM cards, and his accomplices, Rahul Panthi, Vivek Raghuvanshi, and Sonu, were involved in selling these SIM cards to other gang members.
Police are continuing their investigation and are working to track other potential victims of the scam. This case highlights the growing threat of online fraud, especially through impersonation on social media platforms like Facebook.