Deepak Kumar Thakur, a 23-year-old BTech graduate, was arrested on Wednesday in Vijay Nagar for allegedly defrauding people through a fake share trading investment scheme. Originally from Bihar, Thakur currently resides in New Delhi and was found with the mobile phone used to commit the crime.
According to the cyber police, Thakur worked alongside a gang that targeted victims on social media, luring them into a fake share trading website with links promising high returns. During interrogation, he admitted to running the scam in collaboration with Saurabh Anand, a co-conspirator who remains at large.
The duo set up bank accounts under a fake company name to collect funds from unsuspecting investors. These funds were quickly funneled through various channels to avoid detection.
The scam has a wide reach, with reported frauds in 14 states. Notably, victims in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana lost Rs2 crore, Rs75 lakh, and Rs75 lakh respectively. The total estimated fraud amount exceeds Rs6.5 crore.
The cyber crime unit arrested Deepak under sections 318(4) and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and personation, along with relevant provisions of the IT Act.
Authorities are continuing the investigation and have launched a manhunt for Anand and other gang members believed to be operating across state lines.
