Ghaziabad, June 15 : A man who duped buyers by giving away useless stuff instead of products advertised on an online platform was arrested here after he tried to cheat one of his victims twice.
Police said Sohail of Muradnagar in Ghaziabad district posted an advertisement of a second hand mobile phone.
When Manish Pathak of Ram Nagar negotiated to buy it for Rs 9,000, Sohail arranged a meeting at Lalkuan area.
Sohail handed over a neatly wrapped product which looked like a mobile phone, took the money and sped away on his motorcycle. This happened on Wednesday.
When Pathak opened the packet, he found a simple piece of glass -- no phone.
He complained on Thursday to police who told him to call Sohail from another mobile phone in response to a second online advertisement Sohail had posted for another product.
This time, the unsuspecting Sohail agreed to meet Pathak -- without knowing his real identity -- at Hapur Chungi where policemen were present in plainclothes.
When Sohail spotted Pathak, he tried to escape but it was too late.
Sohail admitted to police that he had cheated three others in the past, Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said.
"The police team has done a good work. In a crime of this sort, such fast action by police is appreciable," Tomar told the media.
