In a major cybercrime crackdown, the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCoE) in Gandhinagar has arrested two Delhi residents for allegedly running a pan-India racket that illegally sold wildlife safari permits through fake websites. The accused are said to have targeted popular destinations such as Gujarat’s Gir National Park, Rajasthan’s Ranthambore, Maharashtra’s Tadoba, Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett, Assam’s Kaziranga, and Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh.
According to officials, the duo fraudulently booked genuine safari permits in bulk from official government portals using fake identities. These permits were later resold to tourists at inflated prices via counterfeit websites and through private agents, posing as legitimate booking platforms.
The arrested individuals were identified as Ajay Kumar Ghanshyambhai Chaudhary (resident of Badli, Delhi, originally from Begusarai, Bihar) and Arvind Shrikant Upadhyay (resident of Shakarpur, Delhi, originally from Ghaziabad, Bihar). The operation was led under the supervision of Dr. Rajdeep Singh Jhala, Superintendent of Police.
How the Racket Operated
Investigators found that the accused deliberately created artificial scarcity by mass-booking safari slots using multiple fake identities. They then diverted unsuspecting tourists to their cloned websites resembling the official portals, offering the pre-booked permits at steep prices under the pretext of “confirmed tickets.”
During the investigation, authorities seized digital evidence showing the scale of the fraud — including 12,000 Gir Safari permits, 8,650 confirmation and payment emails, and 10,278 booking PDFs for various wildlife sanctuaries across India.
Warning to Tourists
Officials have urged travellers to book safaris only via official government websites and to be cautious of fraudulent ads or links shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
In case of suspected fraud, victims are advised to call the Cybercrime Helpline (1930) or report to the nearest police station.
Similar Case Earlier This Month
Earlier in October, three individuals — Alpesh Kumar Bhalani (Ahmedabad), Sultanbhai Baloch, and Ejaz Sheikh (both from Sasan Gir, Junagadh) — were arrested for a similar offence. They allegedly manipulated the official booking system by using fake names and random photos in place of Aadhaar IDs to hoard safari slots, which were later resold at two to three times the official rates, especially during weekends and holidays.