Mumbai Police recently arrested three men from Bihar for their involvement in a fraudulent operation where they tricked people into paying for fake helicopter rides to the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The scam was uncovered after a woman from South Mumbai fell victim to the deceptive website.
In January 2025, the woman was browsing online for ways to attend the Mahakumbh when she came across a website offering discounted helicopter rides. The website promised a group discount for 26 people, quoting a total of Rs 60,652. The woman made the payment via UPI, only to later realize she had been scammed. Upon further investigation, she found that the money had been transferred to a bank account under the name Sonamuni Devi, instead of a legitimate company. When the website vanished and the contact number went unanswered, the woman approached the Cuffe Parade Police station.
Soon after, another victim from Colaba reported being scammed through the same website. The police began to investigate the bank account where the money had been deposited. They discovered that although the account had been created in Delhi, the cash was withdrawn from two ATMs in Bihar Sharif. The police team traveled to Bihar Sharif and reviewed CCTV footage from the ATMs.
“The suspect would park his bike in a dark spot, making it difficult to get the vehicle’s registration number. However, we found a traffic challan issued for jumping a signal at the exact time the suspect was passing through that junction,” said an investigating officer. This clue led them to identify the suspect, Avinash Kumar, alias Bittu, a 21-year-old B Pharm student from Bihar Sharif.
During his arrest, Bittu confessed to creating the fake website and withdrawing the money as directed by his accomplice, Mukesh Kumar, aged 28. Mukesh was the mastermind behind the operation. Bittu also revealed that the gang had set up the fraudulent website, procured SIM cards and bank accounts, and executed the scam with precision.
Police then raided the homes of Mukesh and his partner Saurabh Kumar, 25, but both had already fled. Using technical analysis, the police tracked their movements and found them on a train, eventually arresting them at Nagpur railway station on February 13. Along with them, Srushti Pradeep Kumar Barnwal, 21, and Sanjit Kumar Shailendra Mistri, 24, were also detained. “Barnwal, who worked for a telecom company, fraudulently obtained SIM cards, which Mistri transported to Bihar for the gang’s operations,” said a police officer.
The investigation suggests that more individuals may be involved in the scam, and the authorities are continuing to trace the remaining culprits.
This successful operation by Mumbai police has once again highlighted the importance of being cautious while making online payments and the need to verify information before trusting offers that seem too good to be true.
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