The North News

Chandigarh, June 20

The Punjab Police have arrested a man accused of running a widespread OLX rental scam as part of a crackdown on cybercrime across the state. The arrest was made by the State Cyber Crime police station, which is operating under an intensified drive to ensure a safer and more secure Punjab.

The accused, identified as Paramjit Singh, a resident of Kharar in Mohali, was taken into custody following a detailed analysis of data reported on the Pratibimb portal—a platform under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to police, Singh is accused of duping at least 23 victims from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir through fake property rental advertisements on the OLX platform. The estimated value of the fraud is approximately ₹5 lakh.

ADGP (Cyber Crime) V Neeraja said the accused would post fraudulent property listings with attractive rental deals to lure unsuspecting customers. “He used to share forged documents and images to build trust. Once the victims agreed to rent, he would demand advance rent, security deposits or registration fees via UPI or bank transfer, and then disappear,” she said.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused routed payments through multiple bank accounts, including Axis Bank, Central Bank of India, Yes Bank, and HDFC Bank, using online payment platforms.

An FIR has been registered under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the IT Act at the State Cyber Crime Police Station in Punjab.

Further investigations are underway, and police say more victims could come forward as the probe continues.