Surat: The Cyber Crime Cell of Surat Police has arrested two men from the Saroli area for allegedly running a nationwide online shopping fraud targeting customers through fake clothing sales.

The accused, Ankit Tulshi Ajudia (29) and Maulik Nilesh Dughagra (25), both originally from Jamnagar, were operating fraudulent websites selling women’s ready-made garments. Police said the duo duped thousands of customers across 23 states and four Union Territories over the past two months, swindling amounts running into lakhs of rupees.

According to investigators, the accused created a website named “Pavitrawear,” where they uploaded images of premium women’s clothing, including designer kurtis priced between ₹1,500 and ₹2,000. However, once customers placed orders, they were delivered low-quality garments worth barely ₹150–₹200.

During the investigation, police accessed a backend panel linked to a portal identified as CP.Expressfly.in, where data of 3,762 orders from outside Gujarat was recovered. Officials found that the accused had received approximately ₹13.30 lakh through cash-on-delivery (COD) orders and ₹6.61 lakh from 477 prepaid orders, taking the total fraud amount to around ₹19.91 lakh within just two months.

Police said both accused were earlier engaged in selling women’s clothing through established e-commerce platforms but suffered significant financial losses. Subsequently, they allegedly turned to fraudulent means, launching their own website to lure customers with attractive product listings and images.

Further investigation revealed that victims were spread across both North and South India. The accused have relatively modest educational backgrounds, with Ankit having studied up to Class 12 and Maulik up to Class 10.

The police have registered a case and are probing the possibility of a wider network or additional accomplices in the operation. DeshGujarat