4 arrested for duping people looking for oxygen for COVID patients

New Delhi [India], May 19 (ANI): The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested four persons from Bihar's Nalanda area for cheating over 300 people across the country on the pretext of providing oxygen cylinders for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
As per a statement, bank accounts seized showed transactions worth over Rs 1.30 crore from the four arrested persons, from the Chhote Choudhary Gang.
The Inter State Cell of the Delhi Police Crime Branch also seized 21 mobile phones, 22 SIM cards, 23 ATM Cards of different Banks and account documents, and one laptop.
The arrested persons have been identified as Deepak (21), Pankaj (26), Sarvan (35) and Mithlesh (36). They were arrested from Bihar Sharif, Nalanda, Bihar.
The Delhi Police received a complaint on their helpline number that a person wanted to procure an oxygen cylinder for his relative admitted to DDU hospital.
"In order to procure two oxygen cylinders for his relative, the complainant contacted one Sachin whose number he got from social media posts. Sachin offered him two cylinders for Rs 23,950. Finding no other option, the complainant paid the money through Paytm and bank transfer," the statement said.
However, neither were the cylinders were delivered to him nor did the fraudster take calls from the complainant after getting the money.
A dedicated team, led by Inspector Vivekanand Jha was constituted to trace and nab the gang. A case was registered at the Crime Branch and an investigation was taken up. A trail of the cheated money was followed and it was found that the money was transferred to a bank account, Malad Branch, Mumbai in the name of a Ruksana Khatoon.
After technical investigation, the culprits were zeroed in the area of Nalanda, Bihar.
Further investigation revealed that five other persons had also deposited money in this Paytm account.
Another person cheated by the fraudsters includes a woman who deposited Rs 7,500 on April 30 in search of oxygen for her COVID-positive husband. He died two days later for want of the life-saving gas. (ANI)