Gandhinagar, Feb 24 (NationPress) Six college students from Rajasthan have been apprehended for allegedly orchestrating a cyber fraud scheme that deceived pilgrims in search of lodging at guest houses affiliated with the Shree Somnath Trust, according to officials on Tuesday.

This operation was initiated by the State Cyber Centre of Excellence, following numerous complaints from pilgrims who stated they had made reservations at the Sagar Darshan Guest House, Maheshwari Guest House, and Lilavati Guest House in Somnath, yet found no trace of their bookings in the Trust's database.

The Trust only permits reservations via its official website and has not sanctioned any third-party booking sites, including Agoda. During a technical investigation, authorities uncovered four fraudulent websites mimicking the authentic Somnath booking site.

Officials reported that the suspects had imitated the original site’s design, logo, and images of the guest houses, using artificial intelligence tools to enhance their legitimacy.

The counterfeit websites showcased phone numbers operated by the suspects and urged users to make advance payments through QR codes, UPI, and bank transfers. In several incidents, victims were also redirected after clicking links for online puja or donations.

According to the police, the perpetrators employed paid online advertising to ensure the fraudulent websites ranked highly in Google search results.

They also allegedly utilized a location-altering application to mislead victims about the origin of their calls and services.

After receiving payments, the group provided AI-generated booking confirmations to the complainants. Victims only realized they had been scammed upon reaching the guest houses.

Technical surveillance tracked the operation to a rented location in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where the six suspects had purportedly been operating the scam for roughly five months.

The individuals arrested are identified as Sachin Harsana, Abhishek Upadhyay, Rajkumar Pratap, Shersingh, Madhav Gurjar, and Vishnukum Avatar. Police confirmed all six are college students from Rajasthan.

SP Rajdeepsinh Zala stated: “A case of cyber fraud targeting pilgrims visiting the renowned Somnath Temple in Gujarat has emerged. Following a thorough technical analysis, police apprehended six suspects from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The accused exploited advanced AI tools to fabricate credible-looking websites, replicating photographs and designs from the official site, altering them, adding fake contact numbers, and directly collecting payments through QR codes.”

Zala further revealed that an examination of the bank accounts established by the suspects and a review of digital transaction records indicated connections to over 90 cyber fraud cases nationwide.

Of these, 43 complaints were logged in Gujarat, 16 in Maharashtra, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 in Rajasthan, and 3 each in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, based on reports received through the 1930 portal and the Samanvaya portal.

Officials estimate that around Rs 20 lakh was defrauded through the fake websites linked to the Somnath guest houses alone.

The overall amount involved in frauds associated with other religious sites is currently under investigation.

The police indicated that the suspects had also created counterfeit booking websites in the names of ISKCON in Vrindavan, Kashi Vishwanath, and Nathdwara.

Officials urge pilgrims to make accommodation reservations strictly through the official website of the Shree Somnath Trust and to verify the authenticity of websites prior to making any online payments.