CHANDIGARH, March 3 – The Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division has arrested the key accused behind a fake website that impersonated the Punjab Mining Department’s official portal, generating counterfeit receipts for illegal mining operations.
The arrest follows Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s directive to curb cybercrime and ensure a secure state, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Gaurav Kumar of Kharar, SAS Nagar, allegedly replicated the government’s minesgeologypunjab.gov.in website, creating minesgeologypunjab.in to issue fake mining slips.
The fraudulent operation, active from November 2024 to January 2025, enabled vehicles involved in illegal mining to bypass security checks, causing an estimated ₹40-50 lakh loss to the state exchequer.
“The fake receipts even had bar and QR scanner codes resembling the official mining website, allowing vehicles to clear security checks without detection,” DGP Yadav stated.
Police have recovered website backups, fake receipt data, vehicle images, and computer systems used in the operation. Further investigations are underway to expose the full network.
ADGP Cyber Crime Division V Neeraja revealed that the probe began after a complaint from the Chief Engineer of the Mining Department, who reported unauthorized activities linked to a fake website. Investigators traced the site’s registration to GoDaddy, a US-based domain provider.
“In coordination with GoDaddy’s legal team and internet service providers, our officers tracked the website to accused Gaurav Kumar,” Neeraja said.
A cybercrime unit led by DSP Simranjit Singh obtained IP addresses and mobile data, conducting raids that led to Kumar’s arrest.
Police have identified a second accused from Ferozepur, with teams actively pursuing him.
“Recovered records show that most fake mining forms were linked to Navyug, a firm based in Ludhiana,” Neeraja added.
An FIR (No. 2, dated February 11, 2025) has been registered under Sections 318(4), 336(3), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66C, 66D, and 66 of the IT Act at Punjab’s State Cyber Crime Police Station.
