New Delhi [India], April 10 The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police on Friday successfully dismantled a specialised cheating racket with the arrest of its female kingpin, who had been evading law enforcement for nearly three years.
The accused, identified as Paro, was apprehended in the Bawana area on April 9 following a meticulous operation. Paro had been declared a Proclaimed Offender in two separate cases and was a primary suspect in at least three major cheating incidents registered at the I.P. Estate and Mandir Marg police stations.
Police said that the gang specifically targeted women who appeared alone or vulnerable at public places such as hospital premises and temple areas. The accused would approach victims on the pretext of offering help or sharing personal experiences and gradually manipulate them psychologically.
Officials added that in many cases, victims were misled by creating a sense of imminent danger or bad luck, after which the accused would deceitfully take away their gold ornaments and other valuables and flee from the spot.
In one such incident in April 2023, a woman was targeted at LNJP Hospital and was cheated of her gold jewellery using a similar modus operandi.
A dedicated team of the Crime Branch analysed CCTV footage from around 50 locations and, based on technical surveillance and local intelligence, successfully apprehended the accused from the Bawana area on April 9.
Police said efforts are underway to arrest other absconding associates of the gang and to ascertain the accused's involvement in other similar cases.
Earlier on March 29, the Delhi Police arrested four members of a tech-enabled gang in East Delhi for impersonating recovery agents and extorting money from vehicle owners using EMI data from a mobile app.
The accused assaulted a victim near ITO and forced an online transfer of Rs 18,000.
According to police, the accused have been identified as Prince, Shivam, Teetu, and Aakash, all residents of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. The arrests were made by a team from Shakarpur Police Station in the East District following a detailed investigation involving technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs.
Police said the gang used a mobile application, identified as "Easy Recovery App", to track vehicles with pending EMIs. Using the data, they would identify and intercept vehicle owners on busy roads, posing as authorised recovery agents from financial institutions.
The case came to light following an incident on March 26 near ITO on Vikas Marg, where the accused allegedly wrongfully restrained a victim, assaulted him, and forced him to transfer Rs18,000 through an online transaction.
Following the complaint, a case was registered at Shakarpur Police Station, and an investigation was initiated. During the probe, police teams analysed CCTV footage and tracked digital footprints, which led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the four accused.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they deliberately used a white Maruti Suzuki Brezza without a number plate to avoid detection while carrying out the crimes. Police recovered five mobile phones and the vehicle used in the offence from their possession.