The group would put random Instagram profiles of girls on a website, and when a customer contacted them, they would first summon him to a remote area under the guise of seeing the girl, and then rob him at gunpoint.
Five persons have been detained in Rajasthan for defrauding over 800 people out of Rs 5 crore over the course of six months under the guise of providing call-girl services. The group would publish girl profiles on a website, and when a buyer contacted them, they would lure him to a remote area under the guise of seeing the girl, only to rob him at gunpoint.
Manish Chaudhary, Ashok Sen, Subrati Khan, Deepak Meena, and Pritam Singh are the five defendants. Udaipur Police arrested the suspects on August 8 after receiving information about a gang operating in the city that sends images of girls via WhatsApp.
“During the investigation, accused Rakesh Meena, the gang’s mastermind, confessed that he and his friend Ankit carried out the entire fraud through TOTTAXX, a website designed for call-girl supply.” Both of them used to set up a page on this website in the city where they had to commit fraud and supply information about call girls in any region of Rajasthan…,” said a police official acquainted with the investigation’s progress.
How did the racket work?
The gang acquired random Instagram images of girls and utilized them for the profiles on their TOTTAXX page. They would entice buyers by using fictitious names and stolen photographs. In attempt to acquire their trust, they even offered clients the option of paying in cash rather than online.
Visitors to these bogus profiles might even communicate or call the female directly on WhatsApp. When a consumer clicked on the chat option, WhatsApp opened on his phone, and all he had to do was send a ‘Hi’ message. Once the message was received, members of the Jaipur-based gang would send between 10 and 15 stolen photographs of ladies to the customer’s WhatsApp.
“The customer would choose one of these photos, and then the girl’s rate would be shared.” Following that, the purchaser would be asked for the location where the female should be dropped off. Then, 3 to 4 miscreants would arrive at the location in a car with a girl,” the police official explained.
During questioning, it was found that the gang could estimate the customer’s financial situation simply by glancing at him and his automobile. When the customer arrived at the designated location, they would reveal the female in a car from a distance and accept the agreed-upon amount. When customers asked for the girl to be given to him, they were threatened with a sword. The accused would even tell the customers to leave, which everyone accidentally did out of fear and dread.
According to the police official, this was one of the gang’s tactics. The other stated that a gang member would step out of an SUV and ask the customer to seat in a car parked behind. The accused would surround and attack the customer as soon as he sat into the vehicle.
The gang would also kidnap individuals and take them to remote locations before demanding additional money. Many clients paid the money out of fear of being defamed. The gang would intimidate customers with swords and rods kept in their car at all times.
What did the police investigation uncover?
On August 7, police received information about the scam, so they set up a ruse of false customers and apprehended the culprits.
According to investigators, the gang members enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. They used the plundered money to buy costly phones, stay in luxury hotels, and throw booze parties. The accused was found with three cars, ten pricey phones, a laptop, and two accounting journals. The diaries contain accounts and other information about all of the persons they have looted up to this point.
Previously, the accused were involved in a racket in Jaipur. Rakesh Meena, the gang’s mastermind, also lives in the city.
