By Admin 
Lakhs of devotees coming to Uttarakhand with the desire to have darshan of Baba Kedar and Badri Vishal are facing a new problem these days. Under the guise of faith, a big gang of cyber fraudsters is active, who are looting the pockets of innocent pilgrims by luring them with helicopter tickets and VIP darshan. After about one and a half month of hard work, Uttarakhand STF has exposed this organized gang and arrested two main accused from Nalanda district of Bihar.
This arrest did not happen just like that. STF’s Chardham Yatra Anti Heli Fraud Cell conducted continuous digital surveillance for about one and a half months, searched cyber trails and did technical analysis, only then it was possible to reach this gang. During the investigation, 143 suspicious URLs, fake websites and 27 WhatsApp numbers came to light. Apart from this, STF has till now blocked more than 300 fake social media links and more than 100 suspicious WhatsApp numbers. More than 134 cases of fraud have also been registered.
This is how they used to lay the web of fraud
The gang’s methods were very vicious. These people used to run fake numbers, social media pages and websites by pretending to be authorized heli service providers or agents. Fake URLs identical to the real website of IRCTC were created so that passengers could be deceived. Fake advertisements were run on Google by paying money so that their fake website appeared at the top of the search. As soon as a passenger clicked on it, he would be contacted through WhatsApp call or message and money would be extorted by sending a fake QR code.
Big update regarding Kedarnath Heli service, online booking slots will open in the first week of June
Money was laundered through Mule account
The gang had set up a complete system to hide the defrauded amount. Bank accounts were opened in the names of different people and were used like mule accounts. The cheated amount was withdrawn from the ATM as soon as it reached these accounts. The commission was divided between 15 to 25 percent among the gang members. During investigation, many complaints related to the bank accounts of the accused were found already registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Evidence of exchange of bank accounts, ATM cards and QR codes has also been recovered from WhatsApp chats. Police believe that this gang is spread in many states and many members are still absconding.
Devotees be careful, don’t make this mistake
Cyber Police has clearly said that helicopter booking should be done only through the official portal. Do not give money on the basis of any unknown link, social media page or WhatsApp number, no matter how tempting the offer may seem. If you ever get cheated, immediately call the helpline number 1930 or contact the nearest cyber police station. The sooner the complaint is made, the greater the hope of getting the money back.