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Six arrested on charge of duping man in Noida of Rs 16.5 lakh by promising to double amount

The gang, comprising six to seven members, has been active in Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi, say police

noida policeDuring investigation, police discovered that the flat had been specially modified for the scam. (File)

Six persons were arrested on December 11 for allegedly cheating a man in Noida of Rs 16.5 lakh by promising to “double” the money within hours, police said.

According to the complaint, the victim was persuaded by his brother-in-law, Vishal Agarwal, who for nearly 10 days insisted that he had contacts with a man in Noida, identified as Sonu Yadav, who could double any amount of money. Despite initial scepticism, the complainant eventually arranged Rs 16.5 lakh with the help of an acquaintance on December 4, it was claimed.

The next day, the complainant and Agarwal met Sonu Yadav and an associate, introduced as Chhotu, at Gaur City Mall in Greater Noida West, it was alleged. The accused directed them to a flat in Centurion Trace Homes, where the alleged transaction was to take place, he said. Inside the flat, two more men were present, and the room was arranged with a note-counting machine and a table for counting cash.

Police said the accused counted and re-counted the cash to create the impression of a legitimate transaction before handing the complainant a sealed bag, claiming it contained double the amount. The victim was told not to open the bag until he reached his car, according to the complaint. After dropping off Sonu Yadav and Chhotu near Blue Sapphire Mall, the complainant opened the bag and found that each bundle contained only one genuine Rs 500 note on top, with the rest being cut paper, it was claimed.

The victim immediately returned to the flat, only to find it abandoned, he further alleged.

During investigation, police discovered that the flat had been specially modified for the scam. A plank used during the counting process had a hole cut through its centre, aligned with another opening in the wall behind it. Police said a gang member concealed behind the wall would pull down the genuine notes through the opening and replace them with bundles of cut paper, while other members distracted the victim.

Acting on surveillance and local inputs, the police arrested Chanchal Kumar, Indramani alias Raja, Ritesh alias Ankit, Shubham Tiwari, Naveen Singh and Gaurav Gupta near an under-construction society in Sector 16B. The police recovered Rs 5.75 lakh in cash, three trolley bags filled with note-like paper, a note-counting machine, six mobile phones, five forged Aadhaar cards, and two cars — an MG Hector and a Nissan Magnite — allegedly used in the crime.

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Police said the gang, comprising six to seven members, had been active in Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi. Two of the accused, Indramani and Chanchal, were already wanted in a cheating case in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad, and had earlier carried out a similar operation in Sarita Vihar.

DCP Central Noida Shakti Mohan Awasthi announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the police team involved in the arrests.

Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh. Professional Profile Education: She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. Core Beats: Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime. Specialization: She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions. Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025) Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context: 1. Politics: “On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections. “Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding. 2. Longforms “Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud… “How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it. 3. Crime and Justice: “He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh. “Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases. 4. Policy Impact “At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters. Signature Style Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives. X (Twitter): @SamanHusain9 ... Read More

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