Cyber Sting: Duo Nabbed for Jungle Safari Permit Racket

Two individuals were arrested for orchestrating a racket to create an artificial shortage of jungle safari permits across several states in India. They used fake identities to bulk book permits and sold them at inflated rates, depriving genuine tourists of access to these attractions.

The Gujarat CID-Crime department has apprehended two individuals accused of operating a nationwide racket aimed at artificially creating a shortage of jungle safari permits. According to officials, the suspects engaged in bulk bookings across various Indian states and resold permits at inflated prices on the black market.

A thorough investigation led to the arrest of Ajaykumar Chaudhary and Arvind Upadhyay by the Gandhinagar-based Cyber Centre of Excellence. The duo was captured in Delhi and subsequently brought to Gujarat for further questioning, as confirmed by an official release.

Investigators uncovered that Chaudhary and Upadhyay, hailing from Bihar, exploited fake identity proofs to book multiple permits online for major wildlife reserves including Gir Jungle Safari, Ranthambore National Park, and others. Their actions not only caused permit shortages for genuine tourists but also resulted in a black-market economy for safari bookings.

(With inputs from agencies.)