Four mobiles, 28 SIM cards and Rs 16,000 were recovered, police said (Representational)
Two men have been arrested for allegedly duping over 100 people by promising home delivery of liquor and food items during the lockdown, police said on Friday.
The accused have been identified as Tarif Khan (24) and Taufiq (22), both residents of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, they said.
In his complaint to the police, the victim alleged that he was cheated by a person of Rs 82,500, officials said.
The complainant was looking for delivery of food packets for a retirement programme in office and had contacted a mobile number mentioned on the internet, promising home delivery from a renowned sweet shop, a senior police officer said.
The accused introduced himself as an employee of the food joint and sent a bar code to the complainant for advance payment. After scanning the bar code, Rs 82,500 was deducted from the complainant's account in four different transactions, the officer said.
During investigation, it was found that money was transferred from a UPI ID into bank accounts registered in Mewat's Punhana. Fake mobile numbers of Odisha were used in the crime, showing locations at Mewat in Haryana, Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Khamman in Telangana, the police said.
Mobile numbers were kept on surveillance and the accused were intercepted near Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Anto Alphonse said.
Earlier, the accused used to cheat through online exchange but during lockdown, they came to know that people were looking for liquor as shops were closed. They uploaded mobile numbers on various websites for home delivery of liquor and food items and cheated people, the DCP said.
Tarif said he purchased fake SIM cards from Gamri village in Bharatpur. He had also purchased a JCB machine in Telangana and was working with Taufiq to establish business there, police said.
One Maruti Breeza car (purchased from the cheated money), four mobile phones, 28 SIM cards and Rs 16,000 were recovered from their possession, police said.