Two held for fraud over O 2 cylinders

A 21-year-old man, who claimed to be a social worker and the national president of “India Youth Icon Team” with 1.8 million members and followers, was arrested along with his associate for allegedly duping Covid-19 patients and their families in the name of delivering oxygen cylinders, the police said on Wednesday.

Investigators said Ritik Kumar Singh and Sandeep Pandey have duped nearly 50 people in different states of ₹8-10 lakh since the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country in April. They circulated their cellphone number on various social media platforms as suppliers of oxygen cylinders and promised home delivery, the police said.

They tricked Covid-19 patients and their families into transferring token amounts into their digital wallets for securing cylinders. But after receiving the money, they blocked the person or deactivated their contact number, said deputy commissioner

NEW DELHI:

of police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram.

The two suspects were arrested from Greater Noida on Tuesday following investigations into a cheating case filed at the Vivek Vihar police station on the complaint of Sanchet Aggarwal, whose mother was ill and needed an oxygen cylinder. Aggarwal told the police that on May 6, he found a supplier’s number on Instagram and contacted the person, who promised the home delivery of two cylinders after receiving ₹14,000 as token money. The family paid the money through an e-commerce payment gateway. However, neither the cylinders were delivered nor the money was returned. The family filed a complaint after the phone number was switched off, the DCP said.

Though the website of “India Youth Icon Team” and his social media profile show that Singh is allegedly connected with a national political party and its senior leaders, the Delhi Police said they have not come across any evidence that links Singh with a political party.