Hundreds of Hyderabadis are being duped by gangs of miscreants from Rajasthan in the name of selling second-hand two-wheelers, well-maintained cars or electronics for throwaway prices on OLX, an online classified platform.
In the first two days of the new year alone, the Cyber Crime police have reportedly received nearly 10 complaints.
Last year, around 130 such cases were filed, all with the same modus operandi.
“Bharatpur gang is looting people across the country on the pretext of selling used automobiles and electronic items,” said a senior cyber crime police officer.
He said the miscreants, in the guise of defence personnel or claiming that they are selling vehicles in an emergency, show buyers the photos and registration documents online, and ask them for advance payment via Paytm or Google Pay. Once they receive the entire money, they switch off their mobile phones and go untraced, the investigator said.
The Hyderabad police’s earlier efforts to nab the culprits at Bharatpur went in vain, as the fraudsters escaped allegedly on a tip-off by the local police, the officer said. In December last, a team of over 25 police personnel led by four inspector-rank officers had gone to Bharatpur to nab the fraudsters. However, due to lack of support from the local police in the unfamiliar area, they had to return empty-handed to Hyderabad.
Recently, an instructor attached to the Army training centre at Golconda, who was planning to buy a Royal Enfield bike, was duped by the same gang for ₹80,000.
“He (culprit) informed us that he is a CISF officer at Shamshabad airport and asked to pick up the bike from the airport parking area on December 31 morning. I waited for him till sunset and returned home,” said the Army instructor, who was at the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police station on Wednesday afternoon.
The officer transferred the amount through Google Pay and said that the culprit was still in touch with him. A mason from Shaikpet and a butcher also claimed that they were cheated by a person in the guise of an Army officer.
Awareness campaigns
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) Avinash Mohanty said of late, OLX frauds have increased in Hyderabad and police were conducting awareness campaigns as a precautionary measure.
“While purchasing something, people should verify the details of the seller before transferring the money. Our teams are working round the clock to nab the culprits,” he said.
Mr. Mohanty said most of the cyber crime fraudsters are from other States and they pose themselves as Army officers or staff of any other uniform service. They usually post ads on OLX with attractive photographs of the vehicles to be sold at throwaway prices and provide their contact numbers.
“When a prospective buyer contacts them, they ask them to transfer the money saying that the vehicle will be delivered soon and dupe them,” the officer said.
