Man Cheated "Hundreds Of Doctors" Of Crores With Foreign Trip Bait: UP Cops

The Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday said it has arrested a person who duped "hundreds of doctors" across several states to the tune of crores of rupees on the pretext of arranging foreign travel packages, officials said.

The accused, who identified himself as a medical representative of a leading pharmaceutical company, was arrested by the Noida unit of the Cyber Crime team from West Bengal, officials said.

Inspector Reeta Yadav, in-charge of the Noida cyber crime police station in Noida, said the case against Vishal Pandey (31) was lodged over a complaint by a Greater Noida-based doctor who claimed a fraud of Rs 18.72 lakh with him.

“Pandey worked with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals as an FSO in Raipur, Chhattisgarh but lost his job in 2017 after demonetisation. He has an MBA degree and graduated from the Banaras Hindu University. He is a native of Bardhman district in West Bengal,” Mr Yadav said.

“In June 2022, the Greater Noida-based doctor had lodged a complaint that Pandey had offered to arrange a family tour package to Dubai and taken Rs 18.72 lakh through bank account transfers and Paytm transfers fraudulently,” the inspector said.

Subsequently, investigation was taken up in the case and the accused was caught from his house in West Bengal, Mr Yadav, who led the arresting team, said.

Investigation also revealed that Pandey has duped hundreds of doctors using the same modus operandi and fraudulently made “crores of rupees”.

He has duped doctors in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, West Bengal, among other states, the inspector said.

An FIR has been lodged against him under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (all three related to forgery of documents), and under provisions of the Information Technology Act, she said.

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