Read on to find out about the groups of scamsters targeting students of the varsity on a daily basis.
Multiple accounts shared by students living on campus have exposed a vast and expansive circuit of scamsters robbing students of their money. These scamsters have been known to single out pedestrians and then force them into paying some money for causes like building of a temple or organising a puja. As reported by DU Beat earlier, the campus is not unfamiliar with such scamsters as those who rob students in the name of blessing their money, and then deceptively take off with it.
The previously reported green salwar-kameez women caused some alarm in North Campus. However, further probing into such deceptive practices revealed the greater circuit of scamsters lurking for their chance to take away with students’ money. Various accounts were shared by students from across the varsity.
Gargi and Rishita, from Kamala Nehru College shared one such incident. This happened to near North Campus, on 27 February. There were 2-3 sardaar boys. One of them came to me and said “Please make a donation, we are organizing a langar,” I said I don’t have any cash.
He said, “We’ll come to the ATM with you,” I even said I don’t have any card with me right now. He asked for my name and number and said that they will remind me to give them the money through Paytm. I said I don’t have Paytm. So he took ?20 from me and only left after having received the money.”
The same students also mentioned, “As I started walking again towards the metro, another guy came to me. He held my hand and started saying things like you are so pretty, your eyes are very beautiful and what not. I got super scared that time. He refused to leave me alone. And then I had to raise my voice and said I need to leave.
The former account, focusing on this group asking money in the name of langar and then the latter account, an extremely appalling and shameful attempt to make the students uncomfortable are not unheard of in the campus. Such attempts to coerce people have become common, as it seems.
Disturbingly, these scamsters are not limited to the North Campus. As reported ealier, the same green salwar-kameez women were also spotted in Greater Kailash, M-Block. However, adding to this expansive issue is the accessibility and liberty assumed by these scamsters; in that they reach out to students living on campus in PGs and hostels and demand money from them.
Bakhtawar Iqbal, a third year student from Hindu College, shared his account with us. “They came to our flat, wearing police uniforms. They were carrying a huge register and demanded that I enter my name in it. I complied and went ahead writing my name, thinking that these people are just doing some sort of survey or something. After I had entered my name, however, they asked me to pay them money for “maata ka camp”. He asked me to give him ?500-1000 since “everyone had given that much”. My roommate came to my rescue at that moment and the dialogue became slightly heated. We ended up paying ?100 to them to get rid of them, because they refused to go without it. Later we found out that they had visited our friends’ flats as well.”
Various other groups of people visiting students living in Kingsway Camp, Hudson Lane, Kamla Nagar and Vijay Nagar have been shared. Dressed to deceive, these groups force students into submitting to their terror and hence, easily give up their money. In this chaotic farce, the interests of the honestly lacking have been undermined.
Another student from Kamala Nehru College shared, “A couple of middle-aged women came to my PG and asked us to give them banknotes so that they could bless them. My friend gave them a 500 rupee note, and they said that they would return it but they just went away. When we followed them to ask for the money, they told us that we’ll die childless and some other absurd curses were hurled by them. It was really scary as they had surrounded us, so we came back without retrieving the money.”
Talking to DU Beat, SHO Maurice Nagar mentioned that these incidents of the green salwar-kameez women robbing and terrorising students in North Campus have been heard of on social media. However, no official complaints have yet been lodged. DU Beat requests the all those who have suffered at the hands of these scamsters in any form to report them in your nearest police station. Enabling a legal action and investigation is likely to reverse the flow of fear from students to these deceptive groups.
Stay safe and vigilant.
Feature Image Credits: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat
Kartik Chauhan
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