The Delhi Police have apprehended three individuals accused of operating fraudulent online helicopter booking portals, duping unsuspecting travelers out of their money. The suspects allegedly created and managed deceptive websites, including 'irctc-helicopter.com' and 'irctc-heliyatra.com', which closely mimicked legitimate travel booking platforms.
The scam came to light after a victim reported losing Rs 20,328 while attempting to book travel services through these fake portals. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Cyber Police Station, South District.
How the Scam Operated
According to police, the fraudulent websites were promoted through paid advertisements on Meta and Facebook to lure users searching for travel bookings online. Once victims made initial payments, they were allegedly asked to transfer additional amounts under various pretexts, such as refunds, fresh bookings, registration charges, and other fabricated reasons. The stolen funds were then routed through mule bank accounts and digital payment channels.
Arrests and Investigation
A police team conducted a thorough investigation, analyzing financial transactions, bank accounts, domain registration records, Gmail accounts, IP logs, and technical evidence from Hostinger and Google. This led to the arrest of Omprakash Kumar and Rohit Kumar from Nalanda, Bihar. During questioning, they disclosed the involvement of Shreyansh Tiwari alias Shivam, identified as the developer and manager of the fake websites. Tiwari was subsequently arrested from Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The police stated that the accused were operating an organized interstate cyber fraud network that used fake travel booking portals to deceive victims across the country. The digital infrastructure used by the accused has been linked to approximately 30 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) across different states and Union Territories, involving an estimated total cheated amount of around Rs 10 lakh.
Previous Criminal Involvement
Omprakash Kumar has a prior involvement in a 2022 cyber fraud case registered in North-West Delhi, while Rohit Kumar and Shreyansh Tiwari have no reported criminal history. The role of another alleged associate, identified as Anurag of Nalanda, Bihar, is under verification.
The Delhi Police said further investigation into the organized cyber fraud syndicate is underway. They urged the public to exercise caution while booking travel services online and to verify the authenticity of websites before making payments.
