Ludhiana: Cyber crime in Ludhiana continues to rise, with the district increasingly becoming a target for fraudsters operating from regions along the Bihar-Jharkhand border. According to the Cyber Crime police of the Ludhiana Commissionerate, while Jamtara in Jharkhand was once widely known as the epicentre of cyber frauds, investigations now show that several scams are being run from shanties in districts bordering Bihar and Jharkhand. Police said these operations are often carried out by literate but unemployed individuals who have turned to cyber fraud as a source of income.Recently, the cyber crime police station of Ludhiana arrested a person from Bihar in connection with a lottery scam. Inspector Satvir Singh, SHO of the Cyber Crime police station, said the accused, Prabhat Singh, a resident of Purnia, Bihar, was arrested for running a lottery fraud. Singh said he would call people saying they had won a lottery and then demand money from them on the pretext of registration charges, processing fees and other formalities. He contacted victims through WhatsApp and regular phone calls. Once a target believed the claim, he would extract anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 from them. Victims were then asked to collect their prize from a “Gandhi lottery counter” near a public place. It was only when they reached the spot that they realised no such counter existed.Inspector Satvir Singh added that Ludhiana police had to conduct raids at various locations in Purnia, Nawada and adjoining districts of Bihar to apprehend the accused. Investigation also revealed that several individuals were running similar cyber-fraud networks from Nawada, Nalanda, Shaikhpura and Warsaligunj — located near the Bihar-Jharkhand border.According to the police, majority of cyber fraud calls received in Ludhiana are linked to this cluster of districts. Fraudulent activities include courier tracking scams, parcel scams, lottery frauds and similar schemes. Investigation further revealed that fraudsters often procure SIM cards and bank accounts from needy individuals. These are used to facilitate scams, and people providing the documents are paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 in return. Officials said there is no single kingpin orchestrating these frauds; instead, individuals are operating independently.Inspector Satvir Singh cautioned residents to remain alert. He said most of the accused speak Hindi and have a specific accent, which should serve as a warning. Singh urged people to be cautious while speaking to unknown callers and avoid believing claims about cash rewards, courier delivery issues or parcel tracking unless verified properly. He warned residents against trusting unsolicited calls regarding prize money or courier-related problems.Box: Cases Linked to the Same Racket— Several cases reported in Ludhiana have been traced back to fraudsters operating in the same region. In one instance, a resident was duped after being told he had won a lottery. He was asked to deposit money as registration fee and other charges to claim his reward — Another case involved a courier-tracking scam. A woman received a call claiming that a delivery agent was unable to locate her house. She was asked to dial a number to contact the delivery person, but that number was actually a code. Dialling it would have put her phone on auto-divert, allowing scammers to misuse it — In another incident, a customer searching online for the contact number of a well-known toy shop in Ludhiana dialled a number listed on the Internet. The images and details on the search engine were of the genuine shop, but the number belonged to fraudsters who had inserted their own mobile number in place of the real one Box 1: How Cyber Cons Operate— Fraud networks targeting Ludhiana have shifted from Jamtara to districts along the Bihar–Jharkhand border — Scams are being executed from shanties by literate but jobless individuals — Fraudsters obtain SIM cards and bank accounts from needy people, paying them Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, and use these for scams — Most operations are individual-run, with no central kingpin controlling the network — Scam calls include lottery frauds, courier-tracking frauds, and parcel-receiving scams Box 2: Investigation Trail— Ludhiana Cyber Crime police recently arrested Prabhat Singh of Purnia, Bihar for running a lottery scam — He contacted victims through WhatsApp and phone calls, claiming they had won a prize — Victims were asked to pay Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 as registration or processing fees — Police conducted raids in Purnia, Nawada and adjoining districts to apprehend him — Investigation revealed active fraud clusters in Nawada, Nalanda, Shaikhpura and Warsaligunj — Police warn residents to stay alert; scammers are Hindi-speaking and have a distinct accent
