‘Fraudsters use fear of the virus to effectively dupe people’: Maharashtra cyber police superintendent

Last week, pharmaceutical company Cipla approached the state cyber cell to register a case as several persons claiming to be Cipla distributors, were allegedly cheating people by promising them medicines like remdesivir and tocilizumab used in Covid-19 treatment.

State cyber superintendent of police SANJAY SHINTRE spoke to MOHAMED THAVER about cybercrime cases that have surfaced during the pandemic. Excerpts from an interview:

During the second wave, especially, cyber criminals, who are aware of the massive demand for medicines like remdesivir, are using it to their advantage by cheating people. We have got several cases where fraudsters put up links on WhatsApp groups, Facebook promising these medicines at cheap rates.