FPJ Cyber Secure: Mumbai Crime Branch Busts Gang Committing Online Hotel Ratings Fraud

Mumbai: Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a gang involved in online fraud and arrested four people. This gang used to cheat people by luring them with the job of increasing hotel ratings on Google Maps.

Police arrested the accused and seized ₹3.50 lakh in cash from them and froze their bank account containing ₹9.27lakh.

The online hotel ratings fraud via Whatsapp

According to the information received from the Crime Branch officer, the officers of Unit 5 were parallelly investigating the cyber cheating case registered at Dharavi Police Station. The complainant had complained to the police that he was offered the job of increasing the ranking of the hotel on Google Maps through WhatsApp. Under this offer, money was given to the complainant for two days. When the complainant received the money, he started trusting these people.

The accused told the complainant about the investment plan and said that he would get good profits by investing in their company. The complainant agreed to the talks of the accused and invested ₹ 9 lakh.

After investing the money, when the complainant asked for his money back, the accused blocked his number. On the basis of technical investigation in this case, Crime has arrested two accused from Ahmednagar and two from Pune.

Gang's bank accounts frozen

A Crime Branch official said that ₹3.50 lakh in cash has been recovered from the arrested accused and their bank accounts containing ₹9 lakh have been frozen.

Whenever the accused used to call someone, they used to tell that they were talking to Techno 05 Media Industry. Earlier, RPs used to give money in the beginning by luring them with the job of increasing the rating of hotels on Google Map and when people trusted them, then they used to cheat them by taking money in the name of investment.