A Bengaluru businessman became a double victim of cybercrime, losing a total of ₹1.62 crore to two separate online scams—one involving a fake solar plant installation offer, and the other a sham legal service promising recovery of the lost money.
In February, the businessman transferred ₹1.5 crore in multiple instalments to an online group posing as solar energy providers. When he realized he had been conned, he turned to the internet for legal assistance and came across “Quickmoto Legal Service,” which claimed to help fraud victims recover funds.
Desperate, he paid ₹12.5 lakh to the firm—only to discover it was another elaborate scam.
Following a complaint, police arrested 27-year-old Tufail Ahmed, alias Chota Ahmed Mubarak, on Sunday. A resident of Kothanur, Tamil Nadu, and an engineering graduate in electronics and communication, Tufail set up a fake legal support center in a house at Kasturinagar, East Bengaluru.
Police revealed that “Quickmoto Legal Service” was a front, with no registered office. Operating under the name “India Legal Service,” the gang used tele-callers and the VoIP platform Zoiper-5 to contact victims via internet calls. Victims were lured into paying fees with promises of fund recovery.
Tufail’s elder brother, the alleged mastermind based in Dubai, had helped set up multiple shell firms to run similar online scams.
Central Crime Branch officials, led by Joint Commissioner Ajay Hilori and DCP Raja Imam Kasim, are continuing the probe. More arrests, including tele-callers involved, are expected soon.