Amritsar’s cybercrime police station registers first case of Rs 1.58 cr fraud

Tribune News Service

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, June 29

Concerned over challenges and imperative need to counter cybercrime, the Punjab Police have established cybercrime police stations in the city and the rural police district here.

The cybercrime police station in the city on Saturday registered its first FIR related to a case in which unknown persons duped a local resident of Rs 1.50 crore on the pretext of investing in gold and banks for earning profits.

The victim was lured to join a WhatsApp link for investing in international gold market in February this year. He invested nearly Rs 1 lakh and got a profit of Rs 9,500. He was again lured to invest Rs 3.22 lakh in different companies recommended by fraudsters. Though he got miniscule profit in it, the suspects asked him to transfer Rs 10 lakh in a bank account in Jaipur which he did, but suffered losses in the investment. The suspects then tempted him to invest in different banks, but he again suffered losses. The victim alleged that in all, the suspects defrauded him of Rs 1.58 crore.

The cyber police station registered an FIR under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 66D of IT Act, 2000, against unidentified fraudsters in this connection.

Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Police Commissioner (CP), Amritsar, said Inspector Rajbir Kaur would be heading the cybercrime police station here. “These police stations are equipped with state of the art technology. Highly trained staff specialising in digital forensics and cybercrime investigation would be deputed here,” the CP said.

Satinder Singh, SSP, Amritsar (Rural), said, “These police stations would serve as dedicated hubs for combating cybercrime including online scams, financial frauds and cyber bullying.”

Earlier, a cyber cell used to assist police stations in investigations to solve cyber fraud cases. Now, cybercrime police stations would register FIRs and investigate cases on their own.

Online frauds have seen a manifold increase after the onset of the Covid pandemic. Due to digitisation in the banking sector, criminal elements are taking advantage of the common man’s frailty in operating online system. Every time they devise new methods to defraud people. Women, especially elderly people fall in the trap of phishing rackets and are defrauded of their hard earned money within seconds.

Overall 28 cybercrime police stations are being set up in all districts of the border state. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given a nod to set up these police stations two months ago.

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