Gangs trapping tourists in hotel, sex toy scams busted by Goa police

Panaji: Goa police have busted three major rackets in North Goa targeting tourists, in which fraudulent sales of tickets for water sports activities, hotel rooms, and sex toys were being made online. Tourists would later discover that they have been duped, and the services or products they paid for will not be available.

In the sex toy case, the complainant reported purchasing sex toys from an e-commerce website that falsely claimed to have a presence in Goa. Despite receiving the payment, the company did not deliver the product. On verification, it was found that the listed business address did not exist.

“Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Panaji police station. Further investigation revealed multiple complaints from victims across the country,” North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal said. “These fraudsters were actively targeting tourists in Goa, taking advantage of their online purchases and the lack of local knowledge. Acting swiftly, our team tracked down and apprehended the accused, Shubendhu Kumar Das, 37, of Kolkata.”

In the water sports scam, police received multiple complaints on the 1930 cybercrime helpline about individuals fraudulently selling tickets for water sports activities in Goa. Victims reported that after making payments, they often discovered that the advertised operators did not exist.

In other cases, the services provided were significantly different from what was advertised, said Kaushal.

Following an investigation, FIRs have been registered at Panaji and Porvorim police stations.

“Police have apprehended Mayank Jain and Harish Jain, both residents of Shadipur, Delhi, and Shashank Verma, also of Delhi,” Kaushal said. “In Jan 2025, North Goa police successfully dismantled a major interstate cybercrime gang that was defrauding tourists by selling fake hotel rooms through online booking platforms. Since then, our team has been diligently investigating similar cases where unsuspecting tourists were being targeted and duped by online fraudsters.”

In the third case, a victim reported being scammed after booking a homestay in Goa through a Facebook group. The complainant made an advance payment to an individual named Dilip Kumar Vishwakarma, who then blocked all further communication.

An FIR was registered at the Calangute police station.

“During the investigation, our team uncovered multiple similar complaints against the accused from different parts of the country. Using technical intelligence, the accused Vishwakarma, 40, was traced and arrested in Bidar, Karnataka,” Kaushal said. “North Goa police remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of tourists and residents by actively cracking down on cyber fraud and online scams. These gangs were specifically targeting tourists visiting Goa, exploiting their travel plans and online transactions.”

Officers involved in cracking the cases were Mayank Dubey, Arun Balgotra, PIs Rahul Parab, Paresh Naik, Vijay Chodankar, and PSIs Mahesh Naik, Mahadev, and Harish Vaigankar.