Chardham Yatra: Beware of cyber thugs! Administration has made special arrangements, protect yourself like this:

Uttarakhand Chardham Yatra: Chardham Yatra is going to start in Uttarakhand from 30th April. The administration is busy in its preparations. Like every year, this time also lakhs of devotees are expected to reach for the darshan of Baba Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham. However, cyber thugs have become active even before the yatra starts. This time the cyber police and Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UKADA) have geared up to deal with them.

When will online booking start?

During the Yatra, heli services for Kedarnath Dham will start from May 2, when the doors of the Dham will open. Online booking for this will start from April 8. UCADA and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) have completed the preparations. For booking heli services, one has to visit IRCTC's website heliyatra.irctc.co.in.

Social media will be monitored closely

The services starting from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata will be an option for easy darshan for the devotees. The UCADA official said that this time social media will be monitored closely so that fraud can be prevented. Last year also action was taken against cyber fraudsters. Every year heli services are operated for Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, but fake websites and scammers start cheating the passengers. To stop this, the Uttarakhand Cyber Cell has taken several steps on priority basis.

Beware of fake websites

At the same time, the cyber police has appealed that passengers should book only through the official website of the Uttarakhand government. Last year, 80 fake websites that were cheating in the name of Chardham Yatra were closed and more than 30 fake Facebook advertisements were removed. Apart from this, more than 50 bank accounts were frozen. The cyber police has also arrested several fraudsters, from whom mobile phones and laptops were recovered.

The police have urged the pilgrims not to share sensitive information like Aadhaar card or PAN card with anyone online. It is expected that this time the journey will be smooth and safe due to the vigilance of the administration and the police. The police administration has appealed to the pilgrims to check the authenticity of the website before booking the ticket and in case of any doubt, immediately contact the cyber helpline 1930.