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Surat, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Five key accused allegedly involved in a pan-India fraud targeting women in the name of weight-loss and skin treatment medicines have been arrested by the Surat City Police's Cyber Crime Branch. Police said bank accounts linked to the companies under investigation recorded transactions worth crores of rupees.
The accused allegedly operated through companies named Curest Science & Wellness, Vedic World, Divya Antra Wellness LLP and Glozenic Skin Care, using social media advertisements and promises of effective treatments to attract customers.
According to police, employees posing as courier delivery personnel were sent from Delhi to various locations to deliver parcels and collect cash directly from customers.
The arrests followed an investigation into a complaint by a woman who was allegedly cheated after being contacted on WhatsApp by a person posing as Dr Akash Malhotra.
After inquiring about her skin problems, the accused allegedly asked her to transfer Rs 8,000 online to a QR code belonging to Curest Science & Wellness for skin medicines. However, she received weight-loss medicines through a courier instead.
“The accused subsequently obtained another Rs 9,000 from her in the name of skin medicines, while the initial Rs 8,000 was not refunded,” police said.
A case was registered at the Surat Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 316(5), 318(4), 319(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2008.
During the investigation, police found that Curest Science & Wellness had allegedly cheated another woman from Surat of Rs 1,77,40,500, or approximately Rs 1.77 crore, in an earlier case.
Following a technical investigation, police laid a trap in Surat and apprehended a courier delivery worker operating under the name Rahul Raj. Information obtained from him led investigators to the company's call center in Gurugram, Haryana, where a raid was conducted.
Around 160 people, including tele-callers, advisors and courier delivery workers, were reportedly working at the facility. Four accused had already been arrested in connection with the earlier case, while the alleged masterminds had remained at large.
“The five accused have now been arrested in the present investigation,” police said.
The arrested men have been identified as Amit Gaurav, 31, a director of Curest Science & Wellness and Glozenic Skin Care; Pankaj, 30, a director of Curest Science & Wellness and Divya Antra Wellness LLP; Rupesh Kumar, 43, and Puneet Kumar, 43, both partners in Curest Science & Wellness; and Deepak Kumar, 24, who worked as a manager at the company.
The accused hails from Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while Puneet Kumar is originally from Punjab.
According to police, the companies promoted medicines on social media using attractive packaging, product photographs and claims of weight loss and skin treatment.
Customers were allegedly told that the products would be delivered through standard courier companies. However, employees were reportedly sent from Delhi by air or train, posing as courier delivery workers to hand over the parcels and collect cash payments.
The investigation also revealed substantial transactions through the company's banking and payment accounts.
Curest Science & Wellness's IDFC First Bank account received Rs 6,99,06,268, or approximately Rs 6.99 crore, between January 1 and June 29, 2026. Its Kotak Mahindra Bank account received Rs 6,58,19,741, or around Rs 6.58 crore, between April 7, 2025, and June 29, 2026.
“Transactions worth Rs 8,30,95,532 (Rs 8.30 crore) were also recorded through its Razorpay merchant account,” police said.
Police also referred to a case registered by the Cyber West Gurugram Police Station in Haryana under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
The police have urged people not to trust attractive online advertisements without verifying the authenticity of medicines and treatment products.
People who fall victim to financial cyber fraud have been advised to immediately call the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 to improve the chances of having the money frozen in the relevant bank accounts.