Ahmedabad, Aug 4 (IANS) Three men have been arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch for allegedly cheating a city-based company of Rs 9.60 lakh by impersonating officials of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), using forged documents and fake procurement procedures to lure the victim with a non-existent government supply contract.
The accused allegedly targeted a company manufacturing bio-green plastic bags by claiming that Ahmedabad Civil Hospital required 2,000 disposable bags and that the purchase order would be issued through the government’s procurement system.
To convince the victim, they allegedly sent forged Civil Hospital employee identity cards, fake purchase orders, tender forms and official-looking documents bearing fabricated signatures and seals.
Police said the gang also created a fake Civil Hospital email account and used Google Meet while posing as hospital officials.
The complainant, who lives in the Satellite area of Ahmedabad, was persuaded to pay money under the pretext of obtaining mandatory certifications, including ZED, CPCP, OEM on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal and NSIC certificates, along with other processing charges.
In total, the company transferred Rs 9.60 lakh before realising it had been defrauded.
Based on technical analysis and human intelligence, investigators arrested Rahul Sharma, 29, originally from Alwar in Rajasthan, Vipul Singh Tomar, 30, a native of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, and Aman Kushwaha, 26, from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh. All three have been living in Ahmedabad.
Police identified Rahul Sharma as the alleged mastermind of the operation. Investigators said he devised the fraud, arranged SIM cards and bank accounts, impersonated a Civil Hospital purchase department official named Rajesh Rawal, and allegedly created forged documents using Artificial Intelligence.
He is also accused of visiting the complainant’s office while posing as a Civil Hospital employee.
According to police, Rs 2.15 lakh was transferred into Rahul’s bank account, while Rs 7.45 lakh was deposited into an account belonging to Vipul Singh Tomar.
Investigators alleged that Tomar withdrew the money through cheques, retained a commission and passed the remaining amount to Rahul through co-accused Aman Kushwaha.
Police said Kushwaha posed as an AMC official named Shailesh Singh and communicated with the complainant through phone calls and WhatsApp messages, claiming he would facilitate the certificates required to secure the government tender.
ACP Hardik Makadia said the main accused had previously worked for about three years with consultancy firms assisting companies in government procurement through platforms such as GeM and other e-procurement portals.
“He had detailed knowledge of government procurement procedures and the certificates required. Around three months ago, he came up with the idea of contacting companies and cheating them,” Makadia said.
The ACP said the accused searched online for manufacturers of products such as green plastic bags, identified established companies and approached them through WhatsApp.
“He used ChatGPT to prepare fake procurement orders, confirmation letters and other documents, created fake identity cards and then cheated the victims,” he said.
Police said preliminary investigation suggests the group has cheated six victims using a similar modus operandi.
Besides the present case, investigators have linked the accused to a fraud of over Rs 18.31 lakh reported at Changodar Police Station, where a case has been registered under Section 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023) and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
The Cyber Crime Branch also said one of the accused has a previous case registered at Rakhial Police Station under 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
Investigators further suspect the gang was involved in additional frauds amounting to around Rs 5 lakh involving other victims, and further investigation is underway.
–IANS
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