Inspired by the Netflix thriller Money Heist, a gang in Delhi stole Rs 150 crore through an elaborate plan. The gang members even named themselves after characters in the thriller. They also took another Rs 23 crore by duping people online.
The gang members who have been identified as Arpit, Prabhat, and Abbas have been arrested by the Delhi Police.
They duped people on social media by promising them good returns from investing in the stock market.
The police said they used the screen names partly inspired by the web series and also to hide their identities.
Arpit, a lawyer, became “Professor”; Computer Science Masters graduate Prabhat Vajpayee took the name “Amanda”, and Abbas took the name “Freddy.”
They created several secret groups on social media, where they lured people with the promise of high return on investments in the stock market.
How They Duped People
They created dozens of groups on social media and WhatsApp where they shared stock market advice and tips. Then they promised excellent returns if people invested through them.
They gained the trust of people by booking them small profits initially. However, the moment somebody added a large amount to invest, the account would be blocked.
Those who tried to withdraw their money were duped and threatened into depositing more. The gang cheated over 300 people across the country using this method.
The gang members often stayed at luxury hotels and carried out the fraud from there using just mobile phones and laptops, the police said. The police raided several places in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and West Bengal’s Siliguri as part of the investigation.
So far, the police have recovered 11 mobile phones, 17 SIM cards, 12 bank passbooks and chequebooks, 32 debit cards, and screenshots of numerous online transactions and WhatsApp chats.
China Connection?
In an analysis of the transactions, call records, and internet logs, the gang’s connections extended to Noida and Guwahati. Some Chinese suspects were also involved in the fraud. The police said the same gang looted another Rs 23 crore using various means online.
A network of Chinese fraudsters running the operation from their country is suspected to have played a role in the cyber fraud.
The police are looking for more members of the gang and their foreign network.