The Cyber Crime Branch of Bhopal has arrested a gang of cyber criminals from Sironj, Vidisha, on the charge of their involvement in creating fake Facebook IDs in the name of Bhopal Police Commissioner and activating SIM cards for fraudsters and these SIM cards were used by cyber criminals to for frauds, accused had provided around 150 SIM cards to cyber criminals.
The gang used these SIM cards to cheat people, promising them free SIM cards and defrauding them in the process.
The accused would travel to different villages, promising villagers free SIM cards. They would take out two SIM cards at once using the documents of the villagers, give one to the customer, and keep the second. The second SIM was provided to cyber criminals who used it to commit fraud.
The investigation into the gang began after a complaint was filed by Mahesh Kumar, a Bhopal resident, on November 5, 2024. Kumar reported that he had received a fraudulent message from a fake Facebook ID “Hari Narayan,” using the photo of IPS officer Hari Narayanchari Mishra. The message lured him into a scam involving the sale of old furniture at cheap prices.
The fraudster sent a QR code to Kumar, and he transferred Rs 45,000, believing the offer to be legitimate. Based on this complaint, the Cyber Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.
The accused gang created a fake Facebook ID in the name of “Hari Narayan,” using the image of IPS officer Hari Narayanchari Mishra. They befriended people through the fake ID and posed as an officer involved in a transfer and communicated via messenger, offering furniture at discounted prices.
The criminals sent images of expensive furniture and convinced victims to transfer money to fake bank accounts to receive a bill for the furniture, which was never delivered.
The Cyber Crime team traced the actual user of the WhatsApp number and Facebook ID used in the fraud. The team identified the main accused and arrested four individuals from Sironj, Vidisha, who had activated SIM cards for the gang leader. The police seized four mobile phones, 36 SIM cards, and other documents used in the crime.
The arrested individuals are Akash (19) from Lateri, Vidisha, who activated SIM cards for the gang; Rahul Panthee (22), who sold SIM cards to other gang members; Vivek Raghuvanshi (22), used to sell SIM cards purchased from Rahul; and Sonu (22) from Garetha, Vidisha, who sold SIM cards to another gang member, Aslam.
Previously, two key gang members Sunil Kumar Prajapati (24) from Rajasthan, who made calls and withdrew the stolen money, and Shakeel the main gang leader, who created the fake Facebook ID and managed the scam were arrested.
A total of six gang members have now been arrested. The Cyber Crime team continues to investigate the case.
