Dewas police busts inter-state cyber-crime gang:Culprits used ‘Just Dial’ platform to defraud property broker of Rs 29.5L; 4 held by cops

The Dewas Police of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday busted an interstate gang involved in duping people of crores of rupees through the business listing platform “Just Dial.” Acting under the direction of Madhya Pradesh’s Director General of Police (DGP), Kailash Makwana, the state police have been maintaining strict vigilance on financial fraud and cybercrime cases, a statement issued by the MP Police headquarters (PHQ) on Thursday read. The Dewas Police, during the operation, laid hands on four members of the gang who had allegedly defrauded individuals across several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Property broker duped of Rs 29.5 lakh through fake land deal According to senior police officials, the case came to light when a property broker from Dewas lodged a complaint at the Industrial Area police station, alleging that he had been cheated of Rs 29.5 lakh by a group of individuals who promised to sell him land at an extremely low price. Immediately after receiving the complaint, police teams began a technical investigation, including mobile tracking, bank account scrutiny, and digital analysis. During the probe, it was discovered that the accused were staying in a hotel in Roorkee town of Haridwar (Uttarakhand). A special police team from Dewas travelled 1,000 kilometres to raid the location and arrested four suspects from the hotel. The cops also recovered Rs 29.5 lakh in cash, two luxury cars, and a large amount of digital evidence from their possession. Gang used fake IDs, SIMs, and documents to commit the fraud Preliminary interrogation revealed that the gang used fake identity cards, multiple SIM cards, and forged agreement papers to conceal their identities. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest their remaining associates. Nagda Police also bust Rs 5 crore crop fraud In a separate case, the Nagda Police (Ujjain district) recently exposed another gang that defrauded farmers of nearly Rs 5 crore on the pretext of crop procurement. Three accused were arrested, and property worth crores, including houses, plots, and vehicles, was seized. The legal process for court attachment is underway to recover funds for the victims. Police vigilant against economic offences DGP Kailash Makwana, as per the PHQ officials, has directed all district units to intensify investigations, seize the illegally acquired assets of fraudsters, and conduct public awareness campaigns to prevent such crimes.