By Nayak Paudel
Morang, June 26: While many people were being cheated through fake lottery schemes online, police had started an investigation into such cases to arrest fraudsters and put an end to the forgery business.
Following the investigation, police have recently arrested seven fraudsters of a group involved in cheating multiple individuals through a fake lottery scheme.
The Metropolitan Crime Division made public seven individuals, arrested on different dates from Kathmandu, on Wednesday.
The ones arrested have been identified as Pukar Verma, 24, resident of Jhapa; Nabin Bhandari, 22, resident of Kavre; Aakash Agrawal, 19, resident of Rautahat; MD Sarfaraz, 22, an Indian national from Bihar; AS Agrawal, 18, resident of Rautahat; Krishna Prasad Shah, 30, and Sunil Shah, 20, both residents of Parsa.
According to the division, they belonged to a group cheating people with a fake lottery scheme of Rs. 4 million.
The group used to send a message of lottery win worth Rs. 4 million in messaging applications such as Viber, IMO and WhatsApp. However, in order to receive the money the group demanded a certain amount, which they cited as tax, at the beginning.
“The group was able to convince many individuals through messages following which many sent handsome sum of money in the hope of receiving the lottery amount. But once the demanded amount was sent to the fraudsters, they would never message or contact the senders again,” said Superintendent of Police Ishwar Karki, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Crime Division.
The fraudsters had cheated people from normal individuals to high-level government officials through the scheme.
As per the division, many people who were cheated suffered from mental tension since they had sent the so-called tax amount to the fraudsters through mortgaging their land and house.
Nevertheless, while the division has arrested seven individuals of the group, they have others to arrest yet.
“The kingpin of the group is in India and the arrested ones were being operated from there. There are still some other members of the racket yet to be arrested,” said Karki.
The group is said to have cheated more than Rs. 10 million from innocent people and the police was able to arrest the individuals with a good sum of money as well.
As per the division, they are awaiting other individuals, if any, who were cheated from the group after publicising their arrest.
Police have been regularly informing the public through their social media by issuing notice and requesting one and all to not believe the fake schemes for long time now. On Wednesday, the crime division had also issued a similar notice.
“It is only one group we have arrested while many others are there who are cheating people through other schemes. Public needs to be aware and inform the police rather than falling for such bogus schemes,” suggested Karki.
Police said they were investigating into the case to reach other fraudsters and put an end to the forgery business.