New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS): The Cyber East Police have arrested a mother-son duo from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for operating a fake detective agency website and cheating a complainant of Rs 1.15 lakh.
The accused have been identified as Poonam Singh, 45, and her son Arnav Singh, 22, residents of Ghaziabad. Police said the duo was operating ‘SleuthIndia.com’, a fraudulent website designed to resemble the genuine detective agency website ‘SleuthsIndia.com’.
The case came to light after a complaint was filed by Bhanu Pratap Singh, who was searching online for detective services. He came across the fake website and contacted them through a mobile number. He was subsequently induced to pay Rs 1.15 lakh on the pretext of availing detective and investigation services.
According to police, the cheated amount was deposited into an IDFC First Bank account maintained in the name of Poonam Singh and was later transferred to different bank accounts. Following the complaint, E-FIR No. 363/2026 under Sections 318(4), 319(2) and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at PS Cyber East.
A dedicated team comprising SI Vinay Kumar, HC Devendra, Constable Vivek and Constable Aanchal was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Pawan Yadav, SHO, PS Cyber East, and the supervision of ACP/Operations East District, Amandeep Kaur.
During the investigation, police conducted technical analysis of the fraudulent website, associated mobile numbers, email IDs, communication details and financial transactions. The digital and financial leads were correlated to identify the persons allegedly operating the website.
Based on the technical surveillance, the accused were traced to SUN-3, Migsun Roof, Sikrod, Ghaziabad, where a raid was conducted. Arnav Singh was found at the premises and was subsequently arrested after evidence allegedly emerged against him. A laptop and mobile phone were seized from his possession.
Poonam Singh’s mobile phone was also seized. Police said the device contained mobile numbers, including one allegedly used to communicate with the complainant. Poonam Singh was subsequently arrested.
Both accused were produced before the court and sent to judicial custody. Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the complete digital and financial network linked to the alleged offence.
Poonam Singh has one previous involvement in a case registered at PS Sarai Rohilla under Section 420 of the IPC.
Police have recovered one laptop, two mobile phone for forensic examination.
Cyber East Police advised citizens to verify the authenticity of websites, service providers, contact numbers and payment details before making advance payments.
