Delhi Cyber Police arrest mother-son duo for ₹1.15 lakh fake detective agency fraud
Synopsis
A mother and son from Ghaziabad built a near-identical clone of a real detective agency's website, lured a complainant into paying ₹1.15 lakh for services that never came, and routed the money through multiple bank accounts before Delhi's Cyber East Police traced them via digital and financial forensics.
Key Takeaways
Poonam Singh, 45 , and her son Arnav Singh, 22 , of Ghaziabad were arrested by Cyber East Police, New Delhi for cyber fraud.
The duo operated SleuthIndia.com , a fake clone of the legitimate site SleuthsIndia.com , to defraud complainant Bhanu Pratap Singh of ₹1.15 lakh .
The fraud amount was deposited into an IDFC First Bank account and later transferred to multiple accounts.
363/2026 was registered under Sections 318(4) , 319(2) , and 340 of the BNS .
Police seized one laptop and two mobile phones ; both accused are in judicial custody .
Poonam Singh has a prior fraud case under Section 420 IPC at PS Sarai Rohilla .
Cyber East Police in New Delhi have arrested a mother-son duo from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for running a fraudulent detective agency website and defrauding a complainant of ₹1.15 lakh. The accused — Poonam Singh, 45, and her son Arnav Singh, 22 — were operating SleuthIndia.com, a counterfeit site designed to mimic the legitimate agency website SleuthsIndia.com.
How the Fraud Unfolded
The case came to light after complainant Bhanu Pratap Singh searched online for detective services and stumbled upon the fake website. He contacted the number listed on the site and was subsequently persuaded to deposit ₹1.15 lakh into an IDFC First Bank account held in the name of Poonam Singh. The funds were later dispersed across multiple bank accounts, according to police.
Following his complaint, E-FIR No. 363/2026 was registered at PS Cyber East under Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Investigation and Arrests
A dedicated team was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Pawan Yadav, SHO, PS Cyber East, and supervised by ACP/Operations East District Amandeep Kaur. The team comprised SI Vinay Kumar, HC Devendra, Constable Vivek, and Constable Aanchal.
Investigators carried out technical analysis of the fraudulent website, associated mobile numbers, email IDs, and financial transactions. Digital and financial leads were cross-referenced to identify the alleged operators. Based on technical surveillance, the accused were traced to SUN-3, Migsun Roof, Sikrod, Ghaziabad, where a raid was conducted.
Arnav Singh was found at the premises and arrested after evidence allegedly emerged against him. A laptop and a mobile phone were seized from his possession. Poonam Singh's mobile phone was also seized; police said the device contained numbers allegedly used to communicate with the complainant. Both accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
Prior Criminal History
Poonam Singh has a prior case registered against her at PS Sarai Rohilla under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code, according to police. This is not her first brush with fraud-related charges.
Devices Seized, Investigation Ongoing
Police have recovered one laptop and two mobile phones for forensic examination. Investigators said the probe is continuing to map the complete digital and financial network allegedly linked to the operation. Notably, the modus operandi — cloning a legitimate service website with a near-identical URL — is an increasingly common cyber-fraud technique targeting users who rely on search engines to find professional services.
Cyber East Police have advised citizens to verify the authenticity of websites, service providers, contact numbers, and payment details before making any advance payments online.
Point of View
Particularly for impersonation of licensed professional services, would be a more effective deterrent than post-facto arrests.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were arrested in the Delhi fake detective agency cyber fraud case?
Poonam Singh, 45, and her son Arnav Singh, 22, both residents of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, were arrested by Cyber East Police, New Delhi. They allegedly operated SleuthIndia.com, a fraudulent website cloned from the legitimate detective agency site SleuthsIndia.com.
How did the fake detective agency fraud work?
The accused created a website — SleuthIndia.com — that closely resembled the genuine site SleuthsIndia.com. When complainant Bhanu Pratap Singh found the fake site while searching for detective services and paid ₹1.15 lakh for investigation work, no services were rendered and the money was moved across multiple bank accounts.
What charges have been filed against Poonam Singh and Arnav Singh?
An E-FIR (No. 363/2026) was registered at PS Cyber East under Sections 318(4), 319(2), and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Both accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
What evidence did police seize in the case?
Investigators recovered one laptop and two mobile phones from the accused for forensic examination. The mobile devices allegedly contained communication records linking the accused to the complainant and to the fraudulent transaction.
How can citizens protect themselves from similar online fraud?
Cyber East Police have advised people to verify the authenticity of websites, service providers, contact numbers, and payment details before transferring any money online. Checking for subtle URL differences — such as SleuthIndia.com versus SleuthsIndia.com — and confirming the registration of a service provider can help avoid such scams.
