Jamtara in Kanpur: 20 held for dupingapplicants through fake PMAY scheme | Kanpur News

Kanpur: A major cybercrime network operating on the Jamtara-style model has been exposed in Kanpur’s Reuna village in Ghatampur, where police arrested 20 members of a gang accused of duping applicants of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, 17 accomplices managed to flee and a hunt is under way to trace them.Police commissioner Raghubir Lal said that the operation was prompted by multiple complaints filed through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Acting on a tip-off from an informant, a police team moved to Reuna village, where it was reported that several individuals were engaging in cybercrimes. Following this, senior officers were alerted, and a joint police team surrounded the area, arresting 20 suspects on the spot.Police said the gang deceived people by offering fake govt schemes. Mobile phones and several digital pieces of evidence were seized from the spot.The CP stated that the arrested and absconding suspects operated in groups of 3-4, using fake SIM cards and frequently calling numbers outside their area while switching between numbers. “They utilise apps like Truecaller, PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm to get input on a person’s mobile number and fetch their correct name,” he added.Police said that after gathering the necessary info, the group would call victims, claiming to be from the UP Awas Vikas office, saying, “We’re calling about your Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana application. Please share your Aadhaar details to check if your housing is approved.”The caller would then inform the victim, “Your application for PMAY house has been approved. Speak to our senior officer for details.” A second person would take over, saying, “Your application is processed. To withdraw the Pradhan Mantri Awas funds, you’ll need to pay Rs 1100 for registration, which you can send to our government account.” Victims were then tricked into transferring money via Google Pay and PhonePe.Police said some members of the group posed as police personnel and told the victims, “I am a police officer. You watch obscene videos on your mobile at home, and I have a record of it. Police is coming to your place soon.”Police said another person played the sound of a police siren from a mobile phone and said, “I have already left with my force to arrest you. If you want to save yourself from arrest and a case, then immediately send Rs 11,000 to my account.”Police said victims, fearing arrest, transferred money to the accused. The money obtained through these acts was spent on personal luxuries and entertainment.The arrested accused were identified as Rahul Kumar, Neeraj Kumar, Pradeep Singh, Satendra, Neeraj, Pranshu, Jagroop, Rohit, Pushpendra, Ajit, Kuldeep, Naresh, Gyan, Romi, Neeraj, Shailendra, Dheeraj, Malkhan, Shivakant and Paras Kumar..