New Delhi, May 9: A 25-year-old man posing as a dealer was arrested from Thane, Maharashtra, for defrauding people by creating counterfeit Google advertisements for 'OLA electric scooty', an official said on Tuesday. The accused was identified as Rajendra Shivram Panda, a resident of Dombivali East in Thane.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) said that an FIR was registered at Cyber Dwarka police station after the complainant alleged that he was in search of electric scooty and on Google search he found one contact of Raghav Sharma, Ola electric scooty dealer. Ola Electric Opens 14 New Experience Centres in India, Aims To Open 200 by Year-End.

The complainant reached out to the accused on his mobile number. The alleged person requested a payment of Rs 499 for booking and subsequently demanded an additional sum of Rs 80,999 to receive the scooty within a week.

"The complainant made a payment of Rs 80,999 into a bank account provided by the accused. When the complainant asked for a receipt of payment, the alleged person insisted on transferring an additional 20,000 to his bank account. Subsequently, the accused person turned off his mobile phone," said the DCP.

During investigation, it is found that Rs 80,999 were transferred to one bank account of HDFC bank and further the amount was transferred from this bank to GP Parsik bank and later withdrawn through ATM.

"The alleged bank accounts were found registered in the name of Panda. A raid was conducted, however, the accused had left the address one year ago," said the official, adding that his location, contact history and call details record were technically analyzed, during which it revealed that he is currently in Dombivali East. Ola Electric to Touch Production of 10 Lakh Units by November 2023.

Panda was subsequently arrested, and during interrogation, he revealed that he is involved in creating counterfeit Google ads for OLA electric scooty. "When contacted by members of the public, he would introduce himself as Raghav Sharma from Ola electric and instruct them to deposit the required amount in order to receive the electric scooty within a week," said the official.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2023 04:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).