Report : Manmeen Walia, New Delhi
DCP Shahdara, Prashant Gautam, informed that the team of Cyber Police Station, Shahdara District, has successfully arrested a cyber scammer from Ludhiana, Punjab, who was involved in duping a Delhi resident of ₹55,100 through a fake “work from home” scheme advertised on Instagram.
A complaint was received from Sangam Yadav, resident of Vishvakarma Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi. He stated that he saw a “work from home” advertisement on Instagram. When he clicked the link, he was redirected to a Telegram group called Aaravi (Receptionist), where the person claimed to be an employee of Vimerse Company. He was then added to another Telegram group named Timely Information and asked to perform small online tasks like giving ratings.
Initially, he received a small payment of ₹150, which made him believe that the work was genuine. Later, he was told to deposit money for “paid tasks.” He transferred a total of ₹55,100 through UPI to the accounts provided by the fraudsters. When he tried to withdraw his money, he was told to deposit more funds for “account verification.” That is when he realized that he had been cheated and filed a complaint at Cyber Police Station, Shahdara.
To solve the case, a dedicated team was formed under the leadership of SHO/PS Cyber, Vijay Kumarand supervision of ACP Operations Mohinder Singh.
The team analyzed the money trail and found that ₹29,500 from the cheated amount was spent at a petrol pump in Jagraon, Ludhiana (Punjab). Further, call detail records and technical surveillance were analyzed, leading the team to a suspect named Sukhpreet Singh, resident of Agwar Pona, PS Jagraon, District Ludhiana, Punjab.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that he was part of a Telegram group involved in crypto trading scams. He admitted that he purchased and sold USDT (a cryptocurrency) using different accounts to hide the source of money. He was aware that the money he received came from victims of online scams.
From his possession, police recovered:
• 03 mobile phones
• 06 SIM cards
• 12 ATM cards
The accused used multiple ATM cards and fake bank accounts to withdraw money or make purchases to avoid detection. After obtaining two days of police custody, he was sent to judicial custody.
The accused and his associates created fake Telegram groups posing as crypto or stock market experts. They used fake names, attractive profile pictures, and bots to make the groups appear real. Victims were shown fake profit screenshots and encouraged to invest small amounts. After building trust, victims were asked to invest larger sums with promises of high returns. When victims tried to withdraw their money, they were asked to pay extra “fees” or “taxes.” Eventually, the fraudsters deleted the group and disappeared.
The cheated money was transferred through several accounts and converted into cryptocurrency to avoid tracing.
Accused Profile:
Name: Sukhpreet Singh
Age: 25 years
Education: 8th pass
Address: Agwar Pona, PS Jagraon, District Ludhiana, Punjab
Further Investigation:
The investigation is ongoing to trace other members of the fraud group and the bank accounts involved in the transactions. The team is also coordinating with financial institutions to freeze the linked accounts and recover the defrauded money.
The excellent work of the Cyber Police Station, Shahdara team once again shows the dedication and alertness of the Delhi Police in protecting citizens from online frauds. Their quick action, teamwork, and smart investigation led to the arrest of the scammer and recovery of important evidence. The continuous efforts of the Cyber Police team are helping to make Delhi safer from cyber crimes.
DCP Shahdara, Prashant Gautam, IPS, appreciated the sincere and professional efforts of the team and said that the Shahdara District Cyber Police has shown great teamwork and technical skill in solving the case. He further added that the police remain committed to protecting citizens from cyber fraud and spreading awareness about online safety.
