The police have successfully dismantled a gang involved in a fraudulent scheme, arresting three individuals on Tuesday. The suspects—Rakmuddin Khan Shafi Khan, Shakir Khan Kasam Khan, and Innas Khan Nijruddin Khan—are all residents of Kota Khurd in Rajasthan.
The investigation revealed that in February, the gang members created a fake Facebook account impersonating Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Ravinder Singal. Using this counterfeit profile, they sent friend requests to various users, including Mohammad Yasir Bashir, a Nagpur resident.
Yasir received a message from the fake account, which claimed that a friend of the police chief from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was being transferred and needed to urgently sell household items. Believing the ruse, Yasir transferred Rs85,000 to the bank accounts provided by the scammer. After the transaction, he ceased receiving any responses, prompting him to report the incident to the police.
Following Yasir’s complaint, the Cyber Police initiated an investigation, uncovering that the fraudulent messages originated from Kota Khurd. The inquiry also revealed that a 17-year-old boy was responsible for creating the fake profile.
Interrogation of the trio disclosed that they had enlisted several youths, including the minor, to assist in their fraudulent operations. The minor reportedly earned Rs2,000 for each fake ID he created. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that the gang had forged identity cards for at least five officials in the state.
To facilitate their crimes, the accused obtained SIM cards from Assam and West Bengal, which were used to create the fake accounts. The police have seized four mobile phones and additional items linked to the scam.
