Cyber thugs create fake websites of D-Mart, Big Basket to dupe people; arrested
Noida (PTI): The Noida Police on Tuesday said they have arrested six members of a cyber gang which allegedly created fake websites of D-Mart, Big Basket, Big Bazaar and duped people of crores of rupees.
Through these websites, the thugs offered products at discounted or cheap rates in order to lure gullible buyers, then during payment they gained information about their credit/debit cards and used the details to fraudulently withdraw money from their bank accounts, a senior official said.
"On April 3, the cyber helpline team of Gautam Buddh Nagar police arrested the six members of the gang which created fraudulent websites in the name of companies like Big Bazaar, D-Mart, Big Basket and duped crores of rupees from people," Additional DCP (Central Noida) Rajeev Dixit said.
The members of this gang are residents of Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar, Dixit said, adding that the people duped by them are not only from Delhi NCR area but several other parts of the country.
Those held have been identified as Vineet Kumar, Dhruv Solanki, Gaurav Talan, Salman Khan, Santosh Maurya and Manoj Maurya, the police said.
The police said they have seized three laptops, four mobile phones, two debit cards, Rs 11,700 in cash and a Hyundai i10 car from the gang.
An FIR has been lodged against the accused at the Bisrakh police station under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, the police added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
