Delhi Police busts gang for cheating 5 lakh people of Rs 150 crore through fake app, 11 held

In the last two months, the accused allegedly managed to cheat 5 lakh people of Rs 150 crore via fake investment apps.

New Delhi: The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested 11 men for allegedly cheating more than 5 lakh people to the tune of Rs 150 crore in the last two months, they used apps like Power Bank, SunFactory and EzPlan.

In a press release, the Cyber Cell stated that: "While Power Bank App was available on Google Play Store, the EZPlan app was available on the website www.ezplan.in. These apps offered lucrative returns on investment with claims to double the investment amount in 24-35 days. The apps also offered returns on an hourly and daily basis, and had investment options starting from Rs 300 to several lakhs of rupees."

Anyesh Roy, DCP (Special Cell-Cyber), said the owners and creators of the app are Chinese nationals and approached the accused to help them with bank accounts and shell companies in India.

“We received hundreds of complaints on social media about two apps — Power Bank and EZ Plan. Some complainants claimed they lost lakhs of rupees. The Power Bank app was trending on the app store with thousands of downloads,” said Roy told ANI.

The fraudsters were found to be operating in multiple modules across the country. A Tibetan woman wanted in one such syndicate operating from Bengaluru, was apprehended at IGIA Airport in a coordinated operation of Delhi and Bengaluru Police, the press release said.

The accused persons were installing malicious apps in mobile phones in the garb of a quick money earning app.