He may be a school drop-out but he still managed to dupe people with nothing more than a borrowed WhatsApp identity and some well-timed lies.
This man from Vadodara Pritesh Prajapati, 28, has reportedly fleeced over 100 people, mostly parents and staff from Santram School in Nadiad. They lost lakhs as they walked into the trap.
Among other details, he runs a textiles business. He was arrested by Nadiad (West) police after multiple complaints from victims who were duped by calls and messages appearing to come from familiar contacts.
Many shared OTPs, transferred money for alleged “financial emergencies” or “school-related services,” only to realise later that they had been tricked. His tools of the trade: familiar names, fabricated emergencies, and a borrowed WhatsApp identity.
Police said Prajapati, who studied only till Class 11, is no tech genius. But on account of debts from online gambling and business losses, he orchestrated a massive con.
He already had at least 14 criminal cases registered against him, including 10 cybercheating cases across Ahmedabad, Sabarkantha, Rajkot, Morbi, Amreli, and Junagadh, and had been previously detained under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA). Despite this criminal history, investigators emphasised that his scheme did not require sophisticated hacking.
An investigating officer told a national daily that Prajapati was not a hacker but “more of a jugadu.”
His method involved infiltrating WhatsApp groups and manipulating members into transferring funds.
Police explained that he would first acquire the number of one group member — in this case, a parent of a Santram School student.
He would familiarise himself with the individual’s identity using a caller ID app and then register his WhatsApp using that number. To bypass the OTP verification, he would call the person and convince them to share the code under the pretext of school work.
Once inside the group, he sought money from members for various fake emergencies. In some instances, parents received urgent calls seeking financial help; in others, they were asked for OTPs for school-related procedures, such as accessing report cards.
On December 16, parents and staff reported that their phone numbers had been compromised and lakhs had been siphoned off.
One parent lost Rs 16,000 after sharing an OTP with a caller posing as school staff. Another transferred Rs 15,000 following a WhatsApp call claiming urgent medical need.
Police tracked Prajapati to Vadodara using human intelligence and cyber surveillance.
At the time of Vibes of India going live with this article, investigations were ongoing to see if other schools were targeted the same way.
Authorities warned parents and citizens not to share OTPs or transfer money based on unsolicited calls or messages, even if the caller claims to be from a school or a known contact.
Also Read: Gujarati Scamster Held For Cheating US Man Of $1.5 M https://www.vibesofindia.com/gujarati-scamster-held-for-cheating-us-man-of-1-5-m/
