📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / This picture has been taken by Oleg Yunakov. Conta
Crime
Cyber Scam Exploits Har Mandir Sahib Sarai Name, Defrauds Devotees of Lakhs
✍️ Amar Ujala · Amritsar
🗓 08 Sep 2026, 03:02 PM
👁 2
Fraudsters have set up counterfeit websites bearing the Har Mandir Sahib Sarai name, luring pilgrims into paying substantial sums.
Police in Amritsar have reported a surge in online frauds that misuse the name of the historic Har Mandir Sahib Sarai. Several websites, designed to look official, claim to offer religious services, accommodation bookings or donation portals linked to the shrine. Visitors are directed to these pages through social media posts and messaging apps, where they are asked to remit money via bank transfers or digital wallets.
Investigations reveal that the scam has already extracted several lakhs of rupees from devotees across the country. Victims report that after making payments, the promised services were never delivered and the contact numbers provided turned out to be unresponsive. The fraudulent sites often display the shrine’s logo and photographs to lend credibility.
Punjab police have launched a cyber‑crime probe, tracing the IP addresses of the fraudulent servers and coordinating with the cyber cell of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Authorities have issued advisories urging pilgrims to verify any online request through the official Har Mandir Sahib channels and to avoid sharing personal or banking details on unverified platforms.
The police warn that such scams are part of a broader pattern of religious‑themed cyber frauds targeting faith‑based communities. They recommend that anyone suspecting a fake site report it immediately to the cyber‑crime helpline and refrain from making payments without direct confirmation from the shrine’s authorized representatives.
Investigations reveal that the scam has already extracted several lakhs of rupees from devotees across the country. Victims report that after making payments, the promised services were never delivered and the contact numbers provided turned out to be unresponsive. The fraudulent sites often display the shrine’s logo and photographs to lend credibility.
Punjab police have launched a cyber‑crime probe, tracing the IP addresses of the fraudulent servers and coordinating with the cyber cell of the Central Bureau of Investigation. Authorities have issued advisories urging pilgrims to verify any online request through the official Har Mandir Sahib channels and to avoid sharing personal or banking details on unverified platforms.
The police warn that such scams are part of a broader pattern of religious‑themed cyber frauds targeting faith‑based communities. They recommend that anyone suspecting a fake site report it immediately to the cyber‑crime helpline and refrain from making payments without direct confirmation from the shrine’s authorized representatives.