Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A case of fraud linked to online gaming addiction has surfaced in Shahpura area of Jabalpur. Shahpura police arrested 27-year-old man named Diwakar Singh, a resident of Majhauli, following complaints from two MP Online centre operators. The accused allegedly defrauded them of approximately Rs. 2.10 lakh.
The accused approached MP Online centre operators Amit Barman and Abhishek Sen in Shahpura, introducing himself as a pea trader. He offered to pay cash but instead requested online transactions via QR code, promising an additional Rs 5,000 as an incentive.
Amit Barman initially transferred Rs 70,000 to the QR code provided by the accused, then another Rs 80,000. When he didn't receive the cash after a considerable time, he suspected fraud and filed a complaint at Shahpura police station. The QR code was linked to a trader's account.
Similarly, the accused defrauded Abhishek Sen, promising to pay Rs 60,000 in cash but having him transfer money via QR code while continuously delaying payment. After about four hours without receiving money, Abhishek took the accused to the market for questioning, then informed the police.
Police interrogation revealed the accused had been playing the online game Aviator for the past two years. After losing a large sum of money, his game ID was locked. To reactivate his ID, the accused resorted to fraud.
When police contacted Diwakar's father, he revealed Diwakar had borrowed money from several people in Majhauli and surrounding areas by lying. The father is extremely worried because almost every day someone comes demanding money.
Shahpura Police station in-charge Praveen Kumar said a case was registered based on complaints from the two online centre operators. The accused is currently in police custody and questioning is underway.
