Pakistan-based gang poses as KBC team; cheats people of lakhs

Cashing in on the popularity of the quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, a Pakistan-based gang cheated many Indians to the tune of lakhs of rupees. Eight members of the gang have been arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell over the past one week.

The group used to trap people through telephone calls, pretending they were calling from call centres associated with KBC hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.

The gang members would tell people that their number had been selected for a lottery worth Rs.20-30 lakh through a random draw and the prize money would be paid to them on the sets of the show.

“Interested people would then receive a call from a Pakistani number to pay a percentage of the lottery amount won by them for processing the claim. The fraudsters then gave details of an Indian bank account for depositing the processing fee,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Rajiv Ranjan said.

As soon as the victim deposited the money, it would be withdrawn by the Indian associate of the syndicate.

The money was being routed abroad through illegitimate hawala channels.

It is suspected that the money siphoned off to Pakistan-based criminals could get diverted for anti-India activities.

The arrests in the case were made after a complaint was made by a Delhi resident on October 7. Preliminary enquiry linked the complaint to the same Pakistan-based syndicate which was being tracked. A case was registered.

Following the investigation, the accused persons Umer Ali (36), Rakesh Raut (30), Ahmad Hussain (23), Vikas Kumar Sah (22), Saroj Kanta Sutar (22), Mahendra Kumar Singhal (57), Naresh Bansal (38), and Ravi Kumar Gupta (43) were arrested over the past week since October 13.

Cash to the tune of Rs.4.1 lakh, 134 ATM cards of different banks, about 300 bank slips, 10 mobile phones, a register for maintaining records of transactions and pass books of various banks have also been recovered from their possession.

“The public is informed that if anyone has been cheated in a similar manner by Pakistan-based tele-callers, they may contact the officers of the Special Cell,” said the DCP Special Cell.