Delhi Police unearth online child adoption fraud, arrests two from UP

In New Delhi, the Delhi Police have exposed a cyber fraud scheme targeting individuals seeking child adoptions, resulting in the arrest of two men from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly. The operation followed a complaint from a 30-year-old woman from Delhi's Burari, who had lost ₹1.37 lakh while attempting to adopt a child. The woman had discovered the fraudulent scheme through an online search and contacted a mobile number that identified itself as Sachin, claiming affiliation with an adoption organization.

The accused assured her of a child's availability for adoption and collected payments in installments, including registration, booking, and transportation fees. To lend authenticity to the process, the suspects provided forged NGO receipts, counterfeit ultrasound reports, and other fraudulent documents. When the woman's suspiscions grew, she reported the incident via the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, leading to the registration of an e-FIR at the cyber police station in the north district.

Police conducted a thorough investigation, scrutinizing account details, IP logs, call detail records, IMEI data, and financial transactions. They also analyzed digital trails across various online platforms, ultimately identifying and tracking around 100 mobile numbers before apprehending the suspects in Bareilly. Sachin confessed during interrogation that Rakesh, his alleged associate, supplied forged documents to deceive potential victims about the legitimacy of the adoption process.

Police recovered mobile phones, SIM cards, bank documents, debit cards, PAN cards, and 14 hospital and doctor stamps from the accused. Authorities are now examining these seized items to uncover more victims and potential links to other cyber fraud cases. The investigation continues as authorities strive to identify additional members of the racket and trace any further victims.