Gujarat fake weight-loss, skin treatment claims: Five held in pan-India racket; crores traced in accounts

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Surat, Oct 29 (IANS) Five key accused allegedly involved in a fraud targeting women across India in the name of weight-loss and skin treatment medicines have been arrested by the Surat City Police’s Cyber Crime Branch, which said bank accounts linked to the company at the centre of the investigation had received transactions worth crores of rupees.

The accused allegedly operated through companies named Curest Science & Wellness, Vedic World, Divya Antra Wellness LLP and Glozenic Skin Care, using social media advertisements and promises of effective treatments to attract customers.

According to the police, employees posing as courier delivery personnel were sent from Delhi to different locations to deliver parcels and collect cash directly from customers.

The arrests follow an investigation into a complaint in which a woman was allegedly cheated after being contacted on WhatsApp by a person posing as Dr Akash Malhotra.

After enquiring about her skin problems, the accused allegedly asked her to transfer Rs 8,000 online to a QR code belonging to Curest Science & Wellness for skin medicines.

Instead, she received weight-loss medicines through a courier. “The accused subsequently obtained another Rs 9,000 from her in the name of skin medicines, while the initial Rs 8,000 was not refunded,” police said.

A case was registered at the Surat Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 316(5), 318(4), 319(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2008.

During the investigation, the police found that Curest Science & Wellness had allegedly cheated another woman from Surat of Rs 1,77,40,500 (Rs 1.77 crore) in an earlier case.

After technical investigation, the police laid a trap in Surat and apprehended a courier delivery worker operating under the name Rahul Raj. Information obtained from him led investigators to the company’s call centre in Haryana’s Gurugram, where a raid was conducted.

Around 160 people, including tele-callers, advisers and courier delivery workers, were reportedly working at the facility. Four accused had been arrested in connection with the earlier case, while the alleged masterminds had evaded arrest.

“The five accused have now been arrested in the present investigation,” police said.

The arrested men have been identified as Amit Gaurav, 31, a director of Curest Science & Wellness and Glozenic Skin Care; Pankaj, 30, a director of Curest Science & Wellness and Divya Antra Wellness LLP; Rupesh Kumar, 43, and Puneet Kumar, 43, both partners in Curest Science & Wellness; and Deepak Kumar, 24, who worked as a manager at the company.

The accused are from Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with Puneet Kumar originally from Punjab.

According to the police, the companies advertised medicines on social media using attractive packaging, product photographs and claims of weight loss and skin treatment.

Customers were allegedly told that the products would be delivered through standard courier companies.

However, employees of the companies were reportedly sent from Delhi by air or train, posing as courier delivery workers, to hand over the parcels and collect cash payments.

The investigation also revealed substantial transactions through the company’s banking and payment accounts.

Curest Science & Wellness’s IDFC First Bank account received Rs 6,99,06,268 (Rs 6.99 crore) between January 1 and June 29, 2026, while its Kotak Mahindra Bank account received Rs 6,58,19,741 (Rs 6.58 crore) between April 7, 2025, and June 29, 2026.

“Transactions worth Rs 8,30,95,532 (Rs 8.30 crore) were also recorded through its Razorpay merchant account,” police said.

The police also cited a case registered by Cyber West Gurugram Police Station in Haryana under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

The police have urged people not to trust attractive online advertisements without verifying the authenticity of medicines and treatment products.

Those who suffer financial cyber fraud have been advised to immediately call the national cybercrime helpline, 1930, to improve the chances of the money being frozen in the relevant bank accounts.

–IANS

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Trinamool Congress highlights another instance of a Bengali migrant worker’s death in Haryana

Kolkata, Aug 3 (IANS) Trinamool Congress, on Sunday, highlighted another incident of a migrant worker from West Bengal being killed in a BJP-ruled state.

In a social media post, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a migrant worker from the Chanchal area in Malda district died under mysterious circumstances.

Claiming that an anti-Bengal agenda is being propagated in the country, the party described the incident as a continuation of the anti-Bengal agenda by the BJP.

“How far will this Bangla Birodhi agenda go? A migrant worker from Hajratpur village in Malda’s Chanchal-I block had lived and worked in Gurugram for 16 years. Like many Bengali-speaking workers, he faced rising hostility and discrimination. Tired and afraid, he had booked a train ticket to return home. But his bloodied body was found at his workplace. Initial reports claim he fell from a rooftop or staircase, but his family suspects foul play,” the social media statement of Trinamool Congress read.

The Trinamool Congress said that this was not an isolated incident, as there have been several incidents of migrant workers from West Bengal being harassed and attacked in BJP-ruled states.

“This is not an isolated incident. From Delhi to Mumbai, Bengali workers are being harassed, detained, and now dying under suspicious circumstances in @BJP4India-ruled states,” the statement read.

The Mamata Banerjee-led party further demanded an investigation into the incident. “We demand a full investigation into his death and immediate action to protect Bengali workers across the country. Enough is enough,” it said.

For the last few weeks, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has been vocal about the harassment and attacks on Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states.

On several occasions, Banerjee slammed the BJP for orchestrating such attacks against Bengali-speaking people in an attempt to create a sense of fear among them ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls. She also vowed to fight against these atrocities by starting the second ‘Bhasha Andolan’ against the BJP.

Meanwhile, BJP Lok Sabha member from Kanthi constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, Soumendu Adhikari, last month complained to Delhi Police against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of allegedly disseminating fake and provocative content on her social media handle on the issue of alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers from West Bengal in BJP-ruled states.

His complaint was about a video shared by the Chief Minister on the wall of her official X handle, where she accused the Delhi Police of harassing and torturing a Bengali-speaking migrant family there.

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Bulldozing Jauhar University is not the right solution, says Arshad Madani

Lucknow, July 18 (IANS) Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani on Saturday said that politics driven by hatred weakens the nation. Referring to the action being taken against Rampur’s Jauhar University, he said that if there were any irregularities, the government should impose penalties or take legal action, but demolishing the university with bulldozers was not the right solution.

He also described the “One Nation, One Election” proposal as a political issue and said that the Gyanvapi dispute should be resolved through a final court verdict.

Speaking to the media after addressing the Hindu-Muslim Ittehad Conference at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Scientific Convention Centre in Lucknow, Madani said, “An atmosphere of hatred was being created in the country.”

He said such divisions could only be overcome through love and mutual respect. Communalism must be resisted collectively, and the country should unite for progress, he added.

Regarding the action against Jauhar University, Madani said the matter had been politicised. He noted that while Azam Khan is a political figure, the university is named after Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, who made significant contributions to the country and society.

Therefore, he argued, demolishing the university was not justified. If there were legal violations, the government should impose fines or proceed under the law, but it should not demolish buildings that are connected to the future of thousands of students.

Regarding the Gyanvapi dispute, Madani said that if a negotiated settlement was not possible, the courts should deliver a final judgment to resolve the matter.

On the One Nation, One Election proposal, he again termed it a political agenda. He said efforts were being made to widen the divide between Hindus and Muslims, even though all religions preach love and humanity.

Explaining religious beliefs, he said “Allahu Akbar” means “Allah is the Greatest,” while many people regard “Om” as the supreme sacred sound. He stressed that everyone’s faith should be respected and should not become a source of conflict.

Madani said Islam does not preach killing or hatred but promotes love and compassion. He encouraged people to read and understand the Quran. It contains no message of violence or hatred, he added. He also claimed that this is why many people around the world are being drawn towards Islam.

Commenting on repeated exam paper leaks, he said that students’ futures should be the government’s top priority. Frequent paper leaks, he said, are affecting the future of millions of students, and the government must address the issue seriously.

On the question of making “Vande Mataram” compulsory, Madani said the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to practice their religion according to their beliefs, and that constitutional principle should be respected.

Madani added that neither he nor his organisation participates in electoral politics. Their objective, he said, is to spread the message of love, harmony, and national unity.

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Trinamool leader arrested in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas for threatening voters

Kolkata, April 4 (IANS) After Berhampore in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, another Trinamool Congress leader, on Saturday, was arrested in Canning town of South 24 Parganas district on the orders of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing a threat to voters ahead of the upcoming state Assembly polls.

According to an ECI official, Hafizul Mollah, a Trinamool Congress leader and Head of Deuli-1 Gram Panchayat in South 24 Parganas district, has threatened voters in the district.

It is alleged that Mollah, during a Trinamool Congress meeting in Jibantala, said: “After the counting of votes, the ‘steam roller’ will continue.”

The Commission had asked Mollah to be arrested for his comments after which the police have arrested him following the poll panel’s order.

The Commission has instructed the police to take necessary legal action against the Trinamool Congress leader.

A video of Mollah’s controversial speech has already gone viral on the social media where he can be heard saying, “The voting for the West Bengal polls will take place on April 29 and counting of votes on May 4. We are openly saying that the ‘steam roller’ will be used on them, who will betray us and vote against our party, from the evening of counting. Because, we have to win this fight.”

Incidentally, earlier, on the orders of the ECI, the police arrested Raju Mandal, the President of the Ward 8 Trinamool Congress committee in Berhampore Municipality, on charges of intimidating voters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticised the Trinamool Congress-led state government for not taking action against such party leaders.

“A Trinamool leader from South 24 Parganas has threatened to crush the common people with a ‘steamroll’ after the poll results are declared. Trinamool has nothing left in its hands now, except to intimidate. They know that the people of West Bengal will not accept this situation anymore,” the BJP said in a social media post on X, sharing a clip of Hafizul Mollah’s video.

“They (Trinamool Congress) know that the people of West Bengal will not tolerate corruption and appeasement politics anymore. They know that the people of Bengal are ready to give their verdict in favour of the double-engine government,” the BJP added.

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