Panchkula cyber cell reopens over 1-year-old pending cases, teams to fan out to other states

Panchkula: The Panchkula police cybercrime cell has identified over-one-year-old pending fraud cases and drawn up an action plan to crack them, with special teams set to be sent to other states to track down accused persons.Officials said around 20–22 long-pending cases, primarily related to investment fraud, have been shortlisted for focused investigation. Most of these cases could not be resolved earlier as the accused were operating from different states."To expedite investigations, special teams have been constituted and will be dispatched to various states to conduct raids and trace the suspects. Coordination with local police is also being strengthened to ensure swift arrests," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Amrinder Singh.Officials said several accused are based in states as far as West Bengal. Since such cases involve long-distance travel and coordination, investigators were earlier hesitant to pursue arrests aggressively. A fresh plan has now been put in place to focus on these cases, and arrests are expected soon.Many of those under the scanner are ‘mule account' holders — individuals in whose bank accounts the defrauded money was received."The move aims to bring long-pending cases to closure and provide relief to victims who have been waiting for justice. We are committed to cracking down on cyber fraud and warn offenders that strict action will follow," DCP Amrinder added.Most of the cases involve investment fraud, in which complainants came across attractive stock-market or investment-related advertisements on social media platforms. After clicking on or interacting with these ads, victims were contacted via WhatsApp or Telegram and lured with promises of high returns.Fraudsters gradually gain the trust of victims and induce them to invest large sums in multiple stages, ultimately duping them of their hard-earned money.The DCP also cautioned the public against blindly trusting links, groups or investment offers circulated on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram or WhatsApp, especially those promising unusually high returns, share trading tips, cryptocurrency gains or IPO investments. He advised people not to share banking details, OTPs, PINs or personal documents on unfamiliar apps, websites or links.If duped in a cyber fraud:Immediately call the National Cyber Helpline 1930Or report the incident at cybercrime.gov.in(Prompt reporting helps track and freeze defrauded funds in time.)