Dehradun man duped of Rs 1 crore via dark web, accused held

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand cyber cell arrested a 40-year-old man from the Bada Udupi area of Bengaluru on Friday, for allegedly duping people across the country by running a fake investment website on the dark web.
The accused identified as Mehmid Sareef used to lure his targets with attractive gains on their invested money and then loot them.
Ankush Mishra, deputy superintendent of police, state cyber cell, said that Sareef was arrested after a fraud case was registered in Dehradun in which the complainant was duped of Rs 1 crore by him and his absconding acquaintances.
“The complainant, a resident of Dehradun, alleged that he was contacted by a person who promised him attractive profits on his investment in a mutual fund. He initially invested Rs 10,000 and received profits for a few months. Later, he invested Rs 1cr, but he was duped,” said Mishra.
Police traced the details of the caller and bank account details in Bengaluru. “The crime was committed using VPN so his IP address was US-based and his VOIP calling number in Malaysia. This made the case challenging but we managed to nab him,” he added.
Police seized 14 debit and credit cards, three phones, 1 laptop, and two SIM cards from his possession. He was brought to Dehradun for further questioning before presenting him in the court. He was also wanted in a similar case by the Bengaluru police.