In a significant crackdown on digital fraud, Puducherry Cyber Crime Police arrested Mahesh (from Puducherry) and Sajid (from Tiruchy) for allegedly deceiving over 100 people with fake advertisements on Instagram promising iPhone 15 devices at just Rs 7,000.
The arrests came after a complaint by Ranjith Kumar of Gorimedu, who fell victim to the scam. Ranjith transferred Rs 7,000 in three payments after seeing an Instagram ad offering a new iPhone 15 at an unusually low price. When he didn’t receive the phone and was verbally abused upon inquiry, he contacted police.
An investigation team led by Inspectors S Diagaradjane and BC Kirthy, with Head Constable Manimozhi and PC Vinoth, tracked the suspects using digital tools and online activity tracing. The probe revealed the duo ran multiple fraudulent Instagram accounts, luring customers with promotional videos and messages.
Authorities have found that the suspects used five different bank accounts to funnel payments totaling over Rs 15 lakh. Police also recovered Rs 1.3 lakh in cash and four mobile phones. At least 43 complaints have been officially registered through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Inspector General Dr Ajit Kumar Singla urged the public to be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true, especially those advertised through unverified social media sources. Over 1,000 similar online fraud complaints have been reported in Puducherry in recent months.
Both accused are currently in judicial custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
