Delhi police team arrests youth on cheating charge in Kozhikode

The callers introduced themselves as representatives of a call centres associated with the Kaun Banega Crorepati quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested Riyas, 27, of Chorode, near Vadakara, in connection with the case of cheating several people across the country.

The case related to a Pakistan-based gang trapping Indians through telephone calls. The callers introduced themselves as representatives of a call centres associated with the Kaun Banega Crorepati quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.

A five-member team led sub-inspectors K. Shajahan and Sumeet Kumar made the arrest.

He was charged with sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act. He was produced before the Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court and would be taken to Delhi after securing a transit warrant, sources said.

ATM cards recovered

The cell had arrested eight persons in connection with the case. More than 150 ATM cards of different banks, scores of mobile phones, and bank passbooks had been seized from them.

The modus operandi of the gang was to dupe people by telling them that they had been chosen for a lottery worth between Rs.20 and Rs.50 lakh through a random draw.

Call from abroad

Interested persons would then receive a call from a Pakistani number. They would be asked to remit a percentage of the lottery amount for processing their claim. The deposited money would be withdrawn by an Indian cartel and routed to Pakistan, sources said.

Investigators said Riyas was reportedly a member of the gang and that he had withdrawn Rs.five lakh from the bank account of a youth from Muvattupuzha, who was pursuing a degree programme in New Delhi.

Sub-inspector, Chombala, S. Sivadas, who assisted the Delhi police team, summoned Riyas to the station and recorded his arrest.

The accused was under the scanner of the Central and State intelligence agencies as he had been receiving calls from Pakistan. He was twice questioned by the State Special Branch and let off, sources said.

More inquiries were being carried out to find out whether he was involved in any anti-national activities as the money collected from those duped had been used for hawala and other operations, an officer said.