Delhi Police has arrested three people, including a former contractual employee of the Ministry of Petroleum, for allegedly duping people on the pretext of providing CNG pumps, officials said on Monday.

The fraudsters duped a man of Rs 2.39 crore under the guise of setting up a CNG pump, they said, adding that the accused had received Rs 1.79 crore through various dummy bank accounts and Rs 60 lakh in cash.

"On March 27, this year, the complainant approached the IFSO Special Cell, stating that he had been defrauded of Rs 2.39 crore by individuals who promised to install a CNG pump on his land," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Hemant Tiwari said.

The officer further said that the complainant told police that he was searching petrol or CNG pump allotment processes online and was approached by two individuals, Amrendra and Amit Pandey, who presented themselves as coordinators and agents of a gas company.

"They lured him with promises of getting a CNG pump installed with minimal formalities. The accused created forged documents, including a registration certificate, bank account details, and an invoice with a GST number, and sent them to the complainant. By posing as officers of a gas company. They swindled Rs 2.39 crore from the victim," said the DCP, adding that an FIR was registered and an investigation was taken up.

According to the police, a special team was formed as the fraud dates back almost three years. The team gathered details of the bank accounts involved in the fraud and traced the money trail. The registration and allotment documents provided by the accused were verified with the gas company and found to be fake.

"Team pinpointed the location of the accused and subsequently arrested Amit Kumar Pandey (41), Amrendra Kumar (47) and Amar Singh (62), the DCP said.

To avoid detection, the accused had been using SIM cards registered in someone else's name. They also created fake emails to send documents to the complainant. Pandey was identified as the mastermind who forged the registration and allotment documents, while Amrendra Kumar collected the cash from the complainant. Amar Singh, a former employee of the Ministry of Petroleum, posed as a facilitator, police said.

Sharing modus operandi, the DCP said that the fraudsters learned that the complainant was seeking to install a CNG pump on his land and falsely presented themselves as gas company officials and intermediaries.

"They offered to install the CNG pump with minimal formalities, claiming to have strong connections in the Ministry of Petroleum. The gang employed various tactics to deceive the complainant, including arranging site visits and issuing fake NOCs, area clearance reports, and invoices to avoid raising suspicion. The investigation into other co-conspirators and any possible connection to the gas company is ongoing," he added.

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