The man got the details of the children and the parents from public databases.
Cyber-criminals aren't exactly known for their compassion, but what this 28-year-old did may just be a new low.
A graduate in computer application has been arrested from Uttar Pradesh for preying on the grief of over 900 families from Delhi-NCR whose children had gone missing. He would get the parents' details from a missing persons' register, call them up and pose as a police official. He would then claim that the child has been found in a different city and ask the parents to transfer some money to help the cops get them back, a police official said.
The elated parents would transfer the sum and look forward to finally reuniting with their children, only to find out that they had been scammed. They would also have to confront their grief all over again.
How The Scam Worked
On November 15, the Wazirabad police station in north Delhi received a complaint from a father in the area to report that his daughter had gone missing. After noting down the information, the police officials registered a report and then uploaded the details of the child and her family to the missing person's portal of the Delhi Police.
The parents then received a call from a man, who claimed that their daughter had been found and they should transfer Rs 8,000 using a QR code he had sent to help get her back. The amount was transferred, but the parents never heard from the person again. A complaint was filed and the police formed a team to trace the accused.
Multiple Instances
"in the past few days, we received multiple written and verbal complaints from parents in the North Delhi district that their missing child had been found and they had paid money to police personnel but they got no response after that, or were not reunited with their child. During our investigation, we found out about a gang that would retrieve the numbers of parents of missing children from publicly available databases and call them up," said Manoj Kumar Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Delhi.
The databases include ZIPNet (Zonal Integrated Police Network) and other such platforms.
Mr Meena said the accused would pose as a police officer. "He would say the child has been recovered and ask for a small sum saying that the child was in other cities, like Dehradun, and the money was needed to get them back. The parents would transfer the amount. One such incident took place under the Wazirabad police station, where Rs 8,000 was taken from a family to get their daughter back," he added.
The police officer said when they investigated the case, they found that the accused was Shyamsundar Chauhan from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, a 28-year-old who had completed his Bachelor of Computer Application degree from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
"He had scammed several people this way and, after we arrested him from Mau, we found he had cheated 41 people from North Delhi and 904 people from Delhi-NCR. He would misuse a parent's love for their child to earn money. He has been arrested and the cases have been solved," said Mr Meena.
A police official said Chouhan would deliberately ask for small amounts, ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 40,000 so that the families would not report the scam to the police.