Three Ahmedabad traders were duped of over ₹1.4 lakh by fraudsters posing as digital payment agents

In a series of similar cyber fraud incidents across Ahmedabad, three small traders have been cheated of over ₹1.4 lakh by fraudsters posing as representatives of digital payment platforms, police said. The incidents, reported from Vastrapur, Ghatlodia and Sarkhej, highlight a recurring modus operandi involving access to victims’ mobile phones under various pretexts.

In Vastrapur, a 55-year-old sugarcane juice vendor, Vijaykumar Motilal Sonkar, was allegedly duped of ₹44,999 by two men claiming to be from Paytm. According to the FIR, the accused first approached him on February 21 near Bharwadwasana Naka and helped install a payment system after collecting his Aadhaar details, bank passbook and mobile number.

Police said the duo returned on March 13 and, under the pretext of enabling an automatic transfer facility, took his mobile phone after he unlocked it. The complainant later discovered the unauthorised withdrawal upon checking his account at a nearby State Bank of India branch.

In a similar case in Ghatlodia, a 22-year-old laundry shop owner, Vinod Gopibhai Dhobi, was cheated of ₹50,000 by a man posing as a Paytm representative. The accused allegedly visited his shop, Devnarayan Dry Cleaners, on March 28 and offered to assist with deactivating a sound box service.

Police said the accused gained the complainant’s trust and took his mobile phone on the pretext of completing formalities, subsequently accessing his account and transferring ₹50,000 from his linked Canara Bank account. The complainant later reported the fraud after noticing the transaction and contacted the cybercrime helpline.

In the third incident, reported in Sarkhej, a 20-year-old street food vendor, Rajeshbhai Haribhai Patel, alleged that he was cheated of ₹45,000 by two men posing as representatives of PhonePe. The complainant, who runs a stall named ‘Akash Pakodi Centre’ near Bakrol Circle, said the accused approached him on January 26, offering to replace a faulty sound speaker device.

According to police, the accused convinced him to initiate a nominal transaction and later took his mobile phone under the pretext of resolving technical issues. During this time, they allegedly accessed his account and transferred ₹45,000 from his India Post Payments Bank account to another bank account through multiple transactions. They also deleted the application and transaction messages before returning the device.

The complainant discovered the fraud only after reinstalling the application and checking his transaction history, following which he alerted the cybercrime helpline and approached the police.

Cases of cheating and cyber fraud have been registered at the Vastrapur, Ghatlodia and Sarkhej police stations, and investigations are underway. Officials said CCTV footage and digital transaction trails are being analysed to identify the accused.