Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh – What many believed to be a lucky chance at winning big turned out to be an elaborate cyber scam. Two brothers from Kanpur, Rajat Keshari (25) and Kishan Keshari (23), have been arrested for allegedly operating a multi-crore online lottery racket that defrauded thousands across multiple cities.
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) made the arrests late on October 6 near Kidwai Park, Kanpur. During the operation, officers seized five mobile phones, three laptops, ATM and ID cards, including a forged Aadhaar, and over 30 digital screenshots linked to the fraudulent activity.
According to the STF, the brothers created a fake online lottery platform with help from Rajneesh Kumar Dubey, director of Webtran Technology Pvt Ltd. Using SIM cards procured via fake documents, the gang launched multiple WhatsApp groups to attract bets from unsuspecting participants in Varanasi, Jaunpur, Prayagraj, and Kanpur.
Participants were asked to choose a number between 0 and 9 and place their bets. However, the software was rigged to declare winning numbers based on the least number of bets placed, ensuring consistent profits for the gang.
The investigation revealed that the operation was run like a corporate network, involving dummy companies, encrypted chats, and layered transactions to hide the flow of illicit funds.
The brothers had shifted to Pune in 2022, where their maternal uncle, Mahendra Keshari, allegedly played a key role in orchestrating the scam along with Sandeep Kataria, Shivam Keshari, Satyam Keshari, and Sandeep Pathak from Prayagraj.
A case has been registered at Kidwai Nagar police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act, including Sections 66C and 66D, related to identity theft and online deception.
STF investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate and trace the money trail.
