Delhi: The accused targeted poor people by inducing them with loans. (Representational)
Seven people, five of them women, were arrested for allegedly cheating people offering them loans under a government scheme at discounted rates, police said on Tuesday.
The accused have been identified as Sandeep Kumar, 29, Sumit, 32, Rakhi, 22, Jyoti, 24, Jyoti, 22, Manisha, 20, and Kajal, 20, they said.
The accused mainly targeted poor people by inducing them with loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan scheme at discounted rates.
The gang was found to have cheated more than 150 people in last one year, police said.
A case was registered on the complaint of one Manish, who alleged that he had received a message that he could get Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan of Rs 2 lakh.
When he called the number he was sent in the message, the accused asked from him a copy of his documents and Rs 2,499 as registration fee. Manish gave his documents and transferred the money, a senior police officer said.
Later, the accused again asked him to transfer Rs 15,500 for 'insurance' saying if he failed to pay the insurance fee, his application for the loan will be cancelled, the officer said.
At that moment, the complainant realised that he had been duped. He never got any loan money.
After investigation, police raided a location in Rohini Sector-17 where seven people were nabbed from a call centre, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) Usha Rangnani said.
Seven mobile phones and several documents found in possession of the accused were seized, she said.
Police found Sandeep Kumar to be the mastermind of the operation, who had hired others for working in the illegal call centre.