India, April 8 -- The Uttarakhand Police have constituted a special team for action against fraudsters who dupe pilgrims by offering chopper bookings for the Char Dham Yatra, which began on Tuesday, through fake websites.

Deputy police superintendent Ankush Mishra, who will supervise the team, said the move is part of precautionary measures to save pilgrims from falling victim to cybercriminals deceiving people.

Mishra said 82 fake websites offering helicopter booking services for the yatra have been blocked over the last two years. He added that 45 Facebook accounts involved in such fraud were also shut in 2023 and 2024. "They [fraudsters] exploit search engine optimisation techniques to make their fake websites appear at the top of in...