Gujarat CID Busts Rs 250 Crore Fake Ayurvedic Medicine Scam, Arrests 19
Ahmedabad: The Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCoE) of the Gujarat Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has dismantled a pan-India cyber fraud syndicate that allegedly targeted thousands of people by marketing fake Ayurvedic sexual wellness medicines and subsequently extorting money from them through fabricated legal threats.
According to the investigation, the racket was being operated through a call centre in Ahmedabad and is suspected to have cheated nearly 5,000 victims across the country, generating transactions worth around Rs 250 crore. CID officials have arrested 19 accused in connection with the case.
The fraudsters allegedly promoted purported Ayurvedic medicines for sexual wellness through advertisements on social media platforms and websites. Once potential customers responded to the advertisements, call centre executives allegedly impersonated qualified doctors or medical experts and persuaded them to purchase the products by making false claims regarding their effectiveness.
Investigators found that after the medicines were delivered, members of the syndicate allegedly contacted customers while posing as police officers or law enforcement officials. They falsely claimed that the medicines contained banned ingredients and threatened victims with criminal cases and legal action unless they paid substantial amounts of money, thereby extorting additional funds.
The CID seized mobile phones, laptops, computers, SIM cards, bank documents and other digital evidence during the operation. Preliminary findings also revealed that the accused used multiple bank accounts and shell entities to receive and transfer the proceeds of the fraud, making the financial trail difficult to trace.
The New Indian Express reports that the authorities are continuing the investigation to identify additional victims, trace the money trail and determine whether more individuals were involved in the operation.
