Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, May 20
An organised gang of cheaters exploring to exploit the human tragedy during COVID-19 in New Delhi and NCR was busted by the Delhi crime branch police with the arrest of six members of the gang from Nalanda,100 kms from here.
Three others were arrested from adjoining Sheikhpura district yesterday. A team of Delhi police is still camping in Nalanda as the kingpin of the Oxygen gang-Chhotu Chaudhury is absconding.
Amresh Kumar Singh, officer-in-charge of Katrisarai police station said over phone, the cyber criminals were young and started exploiting the families of the COVID-19 patients through misuse of Facebook and Whatsapp platforms. One of those arrested, Vikash, son of Arwind Paswan, is 17 years old.
He was produced before the juvenile justice court at Biharsharif which granted bail. Others were taken to New Delhi on transit remand. Police recovered 15 mobile sets from them.
Four youths were arrested from district headquarters and taken to New Delhi today. Two days ago, Delhi police had arrested five others on duping friends and relatives of Covid 19 patients in New Delhi and NCR.
Those arrested today included Dipak, Pankaj, Shrawan and Mithilesh Police recovered 21 mobile sets from these four youths and 23 ATMs from their custody.
Nalanda police said the Delhi police has confirmed more than 200 people were involved in Oxygen scam in Nalanda, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Gaya districts in Bihar and Chatra and Koderma in neighbouring Jharkhand. Police from New Delhi landed at Bigharsharif and later to villages in search of cyber criminals through technical surveillance of the mobile sets used to dupe the harassed relatives and friends of the Corona patients in search of oxygen cylinders and concentrators in different hospitals in New Delhi and NCR.
These criminals had put notices like Oxygen cylinder near you, Quick oxygen cylinder supply, Jan Sewa etc on different whatsapp groups and facebook walls with two to three mobile numbers. They promised supply of oxygen cylinders at hospitals or doorsteps. They also asked for bank account numbers of the prospective customers with Aadhar card photocopies. They pressed for payment through wallets before delivery. After receiving money, they used to switch their mobile numbers off. One customer paid Rs 26500 for a cylinder and did not receive it after eight hours. He was assured delivery from Faridabad after midnight but it never reached.
Nalanda and Nawada police are investigating the role of the staff of banks in facilitating transactions by Oxygen cheats. From the account of one of the arrested youths, a transaction of Rs 1.25 crores in 15 days was revealed. Aadhar cards of the relatives of Corona victims and friends who were desperately looking for oxygen cylinders, were used to open bank accounts, it is alleged.
On May 8, six people were arrested by Katrisarai police station on information sent by Delhi police. They are from Koeribigha village of Nalanda district and were involved in the Oxygen cylinder supply fraud committed on Delhi and NCR customers.
Nalanda police today claimed so far, 25 cheaters have been arrested, but over 200 more are wanted.
In the last week of April and first week of May when the second wave of Corona was at its peak, the Nalanda gang started exploiting the Corona victims through mobile sets. One NRI relative from the USA wanted an urgent delivery of an oxygen cylinder for his old parents in Patliputra colony here, he had to pay Rs 1.25 lakhs for one cylinder.
The Economic Offences Wing of Bihar police too had received complaints from the friends and relatives about high charges by oxygen cylinder suppliers. EOW last week arrested 11 people in Patna. They included four directors of two premier private hospitals who used to take advance money for oxygen cylinders and even beds in their hospitals. One of the directors is charged with taking Rs 56000 for a cylinder during Oxygen scarcity last week.
