Surat: Surat Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly duping customers through fake social media advertisements offering construction materials at unusually low prices.

The accused, identified as Narendra Saraswat (32), a resident of Godadara, allegedly collected advance payments for bricks, concrete, and other building materials before switching off his phone and disappearing.

According to police, Saraswat had started a hardware business, Ozone Hardware, in Surat in 2021. After the business reportedly incurred losses of nearly ₹6 lakh and shut down, he allegedly turned to online fraud to make quick money.

Investigators said he created a fake Facebook profile under the name “Nishant Saxena” and posted advertisements for JBC Red Bricks, promoting bricks and other construction materials at heavily discounted rates to lure buyers.

After securing an order, Saraswat allegedly contacted a genuine brick supplier and instructed them to deliver the materials to the customer’s address. Once the delivery was completed, he collected the payment from the customer but never paid the supplier. He then switched off his phone, making it impossible to contact him.

Police said the accused used multiple fake SIM cards to execute the fraud. So far, five cases have been registered against him through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) and at police stations in Dumas, Pandesara, Singanpor, Olpad, and Vaghai in Dang district. The total cheating amount reported in these cases is around ₹1.60 lakh.

Investigators believe the scam could be much larger, as several victims may not have come forward to file complaints. DeshGujarat