Tapi: A major cyber fraud case has come to light in Tapi, where a young man was duped of over ₹26.90 lakh in the name of a lottery prize. Acting on the complaint filed by the victim, Tapi police arrested five members of a fraud gang operating a fake call center in Bihar, which was involved in large-scale lottery scams across the country.

The victim, Sanehal Kumar, received a courier claiming he had won a lottery prize from a company named Dhan Lakshmi Kuber Varsha Yantra Private Limited. He was then contacted by fraudsters who convinced him that, in order to claim the prize, he needed to pay various “taxes,” which would supposedly be refunded later. Over time, he transferred ₹26,90,265 in installments to different bank accounts, believing he was securing a four-wheeler prize.

After realizing he had been scammed, Kumar filed a complaint at the Tapi Cyber Crime Police Station. In response, multiple police teams were formed under PSI K.R. Patel and PSI D.R. Bathwar. Through technical surveillance involving mobile numbers, IMEI tracking, and tower location analysis, the accused were traced to Bihar. The police raided their illegal call center, arrested five suspects, and recovered equipment used in the fraud.

The gang’s modus operandi involved luring victims with fake lottery letters and persistently extorting money by citing additional charges, delivery delays, or refundable deposits. One accused, identified as Sajad, remains absconding and is currently wanted by the police. Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat