Man arrested for duping on pretext of installing mobile towers

Israil alias Lala, 22, a resident of West Vinod Nagar here, was arrested yesterday from a flat at Vaishali in Ghaziabad in connection with a case, O P Mishra, DCP of East Delhi District, said today.

The police also recovered 30 mobile phones, 20 agreement letters of different mobile companies and two ATM cards allegedly used by the accused, a release said.

The gang was being operated by Israil at Acharya Niketan Market at Mayur Vihar, the police claimed, adding its members cheated hundreds of innocent people in name of installing towers of various mobile companies by giving advertisements in newspapers.

"Hundreds of complainants have till date contacted Special Staff Office who were victims of this gang of cheats," the police said, adding a number of other co-accused were arrested earlier.

A specific input was received yesterday that Israil, a fifth standard pass, was hiding in a flat located at Gaur Green Society in Vaishali, they said.

The accused, who tried to escape by jumping from the window of the flat, broke both of his legs and was nabbed consequently, the police said.

Detailing the modus operandi, the police said that the gang used to give advertisements in newspapers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states and sought applications from public for installing towers at their buildings and pieces of land.

The gang, which used to promise handsome rent to the victims, used to demand registration fees from them by sending forged lease documents on behalf of companies, they said.

"In that agreement the victim is lured of getting Rs 65,000- Rs 70,000 as monthly rent and Rs 40 lacs as advance by company and asked the victim to deposit Rs. 43,000 as tax in a given account number," they said.

The accused used to immediately withdraw the amount, they said, adding that an FIR has been lodged under relevant penal provisions.