Noida BTech student arrested for creating fake Kedarnath helicopter booking website
Police have arrested a BTech student from Noida for allegedly acting as the technical mastermind behind a cyber fraud syndicate that defrauded a government official of Rs 20,328 through a cloned Kedarnath helicopter booking website.
The suspect, Shreyansh Tiwari, alias Shivam, a resident of Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended in Noida after his accomplices named him during interrogation. The arrest follows an investigation into a fake booking racket that targeted pilgrims planning the Char Dham Yatra.
The case began on May 12 when a government official searched Google for helicopter services to Kedarnath. He clicked on a link for "irctc-heliyatra.com," a fake website designed to mimic the official booking portal. After being redirected to a page displaying "Trans Bharat Aviation Kedarnath Helicopter Ticket Booking," the official initiated a WhatsApp chat to book a Phata-to-Kedarnath service for two family members.
The official transferred Rs 20,328 and received two e-tickets via Gmail and WhatsApp. However, when his family arrived at the Phata helipad, security personnel from Trans Bharat Aviation informed them that the tickets were counterfeit. The official filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which was subsequently transferred to the South Delhi Cyber Police Station.
A police team led by Inspector Hansraj Swami, under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal and Additional DCP Arvind Kumar, traced the money trail and domain registration. On June 2, the police arrested Omprakash Kumar and Rohit Kumar in Nalanda, Bihar.
During questioning, the duo disclosed that Omprakash had met Tiwari on Telegram and paid him Rs 40,000 to develop the fake website. While Tiwari maintained the digital infrastructure, Rohit handled the WhatsApp communications and routed the fraudulent payments.
Investigators recovered eight mobile phones, two laptops, an iPad, and multiple ATM cards, and froze Rs 20,328 in a bank account. The police revealed that the syndicate is linked to at least 30 complaints across multiple states, involving an estimated Rs 10 lakh in defrauded funds.
