Delhi Police has arrested an alleged mastermind behind a pan-India fraud scheme that targeted small-scale incense stick manufacturers by duping them into paying for raw materials that were never delivered in outer north area of the city.
The accused, identified as Abhishek Oberai (37), created fake supplier profiles on social media platforms mainly Facebook and lured the victims with promises of supplying bamboo sticks and other raw materials essential for incense stick production, police said in a statement.
Oberai, who studied only up to Class 1 and comes from a financially weak background, initially worked as a delivery assistant for a medical supplier, they said.
After suffering losses during the COVID-19 pandemic while trying to set up a legitimate incense stick business, he allegedly turned to fraud, police said.
The accused exploited his basic knowledge of commercial transactions to target manufacturers looking for low-cost raw materials online, said a senior police officer. “Once he gained the trust of victims, he would collect advance payments through digital platforms and then vanish, often changing SIM cards and bank accounts to evade detection,” said DCP Nidhin Valsan.
The breakthrough came in a case registered in July 2023 after Delhi-based entrepreneur Sujeet Kumar Jha lodged a complaint, alleging that he was cheated of `21,060.
The accused posed as a supplier named Harsh Singh Vedi and sent forged documents to delay suspicion before cutting off communication, police said.
A raid was conducted at Oberai’s residence in Budh Vihar on May 12 and he was apprehended, they said.
Three mobile phones used in the scam, six SIM cards, 35 bank cards, 33 cheque books, 17 passbooks, a mobile printer and three forged stamps used to create fake documents were recovered during the raid, police said.
The police have linked Oberai to at least 24 similar complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and are now coordinating with the cyber units in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to track down other victims and potential accomplices. Further investigation into the matter is underway, they said.
