Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, July 6-
Cybercriminals increasingly target unsuspecting citizens through Telegram, exploiting the messaging platform to perpetrate fraud. In one such case, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, fell prey to a sophisticated scam, losing a staggering Rs. 8,91,000 in a cryptocurrency investment scheme.
However, swift action by the Haryana Police led to the arrest of the fraudsters, preventing further victims.
The victim, Bajrang, was lured into the scam through a Telegram channel promising high returns on cryptocurrency investments. Once hooked, the fraudsters, operating under the alias "CAPTAIN AMERICA," guided Bajrang to transfer funds into bogus bank accounts. These accounts were procured by an accomplice, Sahil, a bank employee, who sold them to the fraudsters for Rs.25,000 each.
When Bajrang realised he had been scammed, he immediately reported the incident to the Cyber Helpline (1930). Recognizing the urgency, the state's Cyber Chief, ADGP, Sh. OP Singh, promptly directed the Cyber Nodal Thana to investigate the matter.
A joint team comprising the State Nodal Cyber Thana and the Haryana Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (HC4) began meticulously tracing the fraudulent transactions. Their efforts led to the arrest of three included Chirag resident of Hisar, Sahil resident of Hisar and Mohit, resident of Fazilka, Punjab.