SONEPAT, July 13 — The cybercrime police on July 10 arrested three more suspects in connection with the ₹1.61 crore stock market fraud that duped a local academy owner through a fake investment scheme on WhatsApp.
The accused have been identified as Sumit and Manjeet, both residents of Sisrana in Sonepat, and Pradeep from Thanakalan in the same district. Their arrests bring the total number of people held in the case to five.
Police said the investigation team relied heavily on digital forensics, including WhatsApp chat histories, bank account records, and device tracking to make the arrests. “Our team meticulously traced digital footprints and cross-referenced account details to track down the network,” an officer said.
The case was triggered by a complaint from Ajay Gill, a local coaching academy owner, who joined a WhatsApp group on April 1 via a Facebook link that promised high returns on stock investments. Convinced by the group’s misleading claims, Gill ended up transferring ₹1.61 crore to various accounts. The accused also reportedly misused Aadhaar card details belonging to him and his wife.
Earlier, police had arrested Kushdeep from Lakhimpur Kheri in January and recovered ₹90,000 and the mobile phone used in executing the fraud. In May, another accused, Rajat Gupta, was apprehended for his role in the racket.
According to officials, Sumit and Manjeet have been remanded to judicial custody, while Pradeep has been placed on a three-day police remand for further questioning. Investigators believe more people may be involved, and the probe is ongoing.
