A Few days ago, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel's nephew Puneet Agarwal put out an SOS message on social media. He needed blood plasma for his Covid-19 positive father-in-law's treatment.
Puneet got a call from someone who introduced himself as "Rahul Thakur, an RML Hospital doctor" willing to donate his plasma as he had recently recovered from the disease. But when Puneet transferred a sum through Google Pay, the man switched off his phone.
After a complaint was filed on Saturday, the Delhi Police nabbed the accused who has been identified now as Abdul Karim Rana.
"During interrogation, he confessed to having cheated many people desperate for plasma," a police officer said. With a massive explosion in coronavirus cases and a vaccine unlikely to come anytime soon, "frauds" are making a killing by targeting panic-stricken people with bogus treatment and cheap test lures.
"Everyone needs to be cautious. Any posts on social media to seek help might attract criminals or fraudsters to earn easy money. Better to take help from someone known," said MS Randhawa, Delhi Police spokesperson.
Blood plasma of a recovered Covid-19 patient is supposed to have antibodies. With many Covid-19 patients having recovered from the disease with the therapy, plasma is in demand.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain's condition has also improved after plasma therapy.
Early this month, the police arrested five persons and recovered over 21,000 packets of fake blood plasma. They were trying to supply the consignment from Punjab to a Mumbai firm.
OCCULT PRACTITIONERS
Mail Today also found out how occult practitioners in Delhi-NCR are offering Covid-19 solutions. Presenting themselves as tech-savvy, English-speaking people, they call even well-educated people to their hideouts or addressing them via WhatsApp.
A 37-year-old homemaker from Dwarka is a case in point. "He said he has helped many of his followers in the last two months. He said he will perform three days of puja at his place for my family and charged Rs 11,000," she said.
"I transferred the money via Google Pay. On day 3, he told me that our family was very vulnerable and at risk, but he has protected us," she added.
These operators charge anything between Rs 8,000 and Rs 25,000 for rituals that extend up to three weeks, depending upon degrees of risk, a Mail Today investigation has found.
A man in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, who claimed to cure people from Covid-19 by kissing their hands, died of the virus this week. He had allegedly infected at least 20 people.
Mail Today contacted various such occult practitioners in Delhi and Noida. One assured this reporter that with a three- day hawan, he can protect her family from Covid-19. "Send me a family photograph and the names of the family members. I will start the hawan tonight. Each day, I will perform special puja for two hours. Once the hawan is over, coronavirus won't be able to come close to you. You will all get an unseen shield for the next few years," he said. He demanded Rs 8,000 and he said, "Whatever message Goddess gives for you, I will pass it on."
SITTING DUCKS
It's not just about occult fixes. Cases of quacks milking the pandemic by peddling fake virus tests, mystery potions and pills are also rising.
In some places, mystery nasal drops are offered to people showing symptoms. At other places, even testing for Covid-19 is being offered at clinics by quacks.
The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has identified a number of unscrupulous medical practitioners.
It can take stringent action against quacks under section 27 of the DMC Act that is non-bailable.
If a quack is booked under this Act, he or she faces a fine of Rs 20,000 and three years in jail.
"It's all
about faith. Until there is any hypothesis about any medicine or treatment, such activities will co-exist. There is a need to control institutional quackery, especially during such a pandemic. Anything which is not scientifically proven should not be promoted," said DMC President Dr. Arun Gupta.
DMC says the number of complaints against quacks has been rising over the last few years. This fake medical industry is flourishing in Delhi - particularly in the neighbourhoods of Pitam Pura, Karol Bagh and Patel Nagar.
ONLINE TRAPS
Cybersecurity experts have also warned that scammers are out preying on panic-stricken people looking for safeguards against Covid-19 across encrypted platforms. According to a New York-based cyber intelligence firm, IntSights, such "coronavirus-themed phishing lures, malware infections, network intrusions, scams, and disinformation campaigns have become rampant across the clear, deep, and dark web."
Experts feel that the current atmosphere of fear has given these criminals an ideal climate to carry out fear-mongering and peddle fake medicines as a cure for the coronavirus.
A recent surge in Covid-related products, templates, and hoaxes on deep and dark web markets has been noticed. According to researchers at IntSights, these "sellers seek to exploit public fear by offering products that could allegedly serve as virus tests or vaccines.
Last week, the Centre said that cyber criminals were planning large-scale phishing attacks against individuals and businesses.
The government's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said that malicious groups are claiming to have two million individual email addresses. "Spoofed email ID which could be used for phishing is expected to be ncov2019@gov.in. Phishing email subject line: Free Covid-19 testing for all residents of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad."
As a preventive measure, the government advised people to exercise caution in opening attachments, even if the sender appears to be known. "Beware of e-mails, links providing special offers like Covid-19 testing, aid, rewards and cashback offers," the advisory read.
CASE STUDY
A 27-year-old IT professional lost a huge sum of money while looking for coronavirus cure on the Internet. The NCR resident couldn't even file a police complaint as he tried to strike a deal through a seller on the Dark Web.
"I had been researching for a medicine. I ordered some immunity-boosting capsules but those were of no use. I somehow managed to get access to a page on the Dark Web which was selling a rare medicine for Covid-19. The page also had success stories of patients from China and Vietnam. I paid for a pack of 10 capsules but then I realised I was duped. The page was deleted," he said.
"We know almost everyone is on the Internet these days. It's a goldmine for cyber criminals who have increased attacks manifold," said Arvind Chauhan, an IT firm executive in Gurugram. "Cases of scamming people over Covid-19 testing kits and products via Dark Web have surfaced," confirmed cyber expert Gautam Kumawat.
WHAT POLICE SAY
"Dark Web is full of unusual and rare products and cyber criminals are always looking for opportunities to exploit. In a crisis situation, they scare and trap their victims. They are sending phishing emails and created fake websites through which they could prey on panic-stricken people who are looking for remedies and prevention from coronavirus," said cyber crime specialist and senior cop Triveni Singh.
"Scammers are using this global pandemic as an opportunity to mint money by claiming to sell exotic herbs or rare medicines. One should not fall for these traps as it is extremely difficult to track such sellers. Most of such dubious dealers are beyond the geographical boundaries for India," said Singh, who has served in NCR and is now posted as Superintendent of Police in UP's Azamgarh.
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