Image used for representational purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
A Masters in Computer Application (MCA)-qualified 24 year old man has been arrested for allegedly developing and operating fake government-like websites, including a fraudulent portal resembling official transport service websites, used to cheat people across the country, police said on Tuesday (May 26, 2026).The accused, identified as Anshul Yadav, a resident of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested following a financial investigation. "The accused had created and managed a fake website named 'parivahan.online', designed to closely imitate official government transport service portals in order to gain the trust of unsuspecting users," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said in a statement.He further said the portal was allegedly used to dupe people on the pretext of providing online vehicle number plate booking and other transport-related services. The case came to light after a complainant alleged that he had been cheated while attempting to book a vehicle number plate online.During an online search, the complainant came across the fake portal and believed it to be genuine due to its resemblance to official government websites. After entering his vehicle details on the portal, the complainant made an online payment of ₹1,099. Subsequently, he was repeatedly asked to make additional payments on various pretexts, which raised suspicion."The complainant then reported the matter on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal [NCRP]. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered and an investigation was initiated," said the DCP.During the investigation, police conducted technical analysis, scrutiny of financial transactions, verification of domain registration details, examination of IP logs, and digital surveillance.Investigators found that the website had been deliberately developed to mimic genuine government portals to deceive citizens into making online payments.Police traced linked contact numbers and administrative access logs associated with the fake website to Mr. Yadav. Financial analysis further revealed that the cheated money was routed through multiple beneficiary bank accounts before being transferred to the account of the accused, police said."Several complaints from different parts of the country were also found linked to fake websites and bank accounts allegedly operated by the accused and his associates, indicating interstate ramifications of the cyber fraud network," he added.Police later conducted raids in Etawah and apprehended Mr. Yadav. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had completed a Masters in Computer Application (MCA) and possessed expertise in website designing, backend management, domain hosting and integration of online payment systems and QR-based payment gateways.During the operation, police recovered two laptops, two mobile phones, fake website source files, screenshots of saved passwords and login credentials, and multiple domain-related details. Further investigation into the involvement of other associates, linked bank accounts and additional victims is under way, police said. Published - May 26, 2026 04:40 pm IST
