Pratapgarh cyber police have arrested Shafiq Ahmed, 32, from Ghaziabad for allegedly defrauding an Udaipur resident of Rs22.63 lakh in a fake insurance refund scam.
The victim, Nanalal Lohar, filed a complaint on May 11, 2024, stating he was tricked into believing he would receive a refund on his dormant Birla Sun Life insurance policy.
According to police, Ahmed and his accomplices used forged identities—Manoj Pandey, NP Singh, and VK Singh—to pose as Birla Sun Life representatives. They even sent fake Aadhaar and PAN cards via social media to build Lohar’s trust.
Over the course of several weeks (April 15 to May 9), Lohar transferred Rs22.63 lakh into various bank accounts. The fraud surfaced after the suspects stopped responding and their phone went unreachable.
Superintendent of Police Vineet Kumar Bansal formed a cyber crime team led by SHO Hari Singh, which quickly traced and froze the bank accounts used in the fraud.
A technical investigation confirmed that the funds were deposited into Ahmed’s account. He was detained in a raid in Ghaziabad and later confessed to locating Lohar’s number through Google and initiating contact under false pretenses.
Police say the investigation is ongoing, with efforts to identify other members of the fraud ring based on Ahmed’s interrogation.
