Delhi Police have uncovered an organised cyber fraud network that allegedly deceived people, mainly in southern India, by promising loans, scholarships and other financial benefits, PTI reported. Four people have been arrested in the case and five women who worked as telecallers have been bound over.
Source: PTI via Daily8
The case surfaced during an analysis of cybercrime complaints and financial transactions recorded on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and the SAMVANYA portal. Staff at the Cyber Police Station in Delhi's West District detected a pattern of suspected fraud involving bank accounts maintained in the district, The CSR Journal reported.
Source: The CSR Journal
During verification, an account at Karnataka Bank's Vikaspuri branch was found to be linked to three cybercrime complaints, PTI reported. An examination of the account and the SIM card associated with it led police to Amit Kapoor, who allegedly handled the account and facilitated the withdrawal of money received from victims.
Police registered a first information report in West Delhi and arrested Amit Kapoor, Shiva Singh Chaudhary and S Gaurav, also known as Appu. Police said the three allegedly arranged and handled bank accounts and SIM cards, facilitated withdrawals and coordinated the transfer of the cheated money.
Investigators said Gaurav allegedly acted as a link between those arranging bank accounts and the people associated with the calling operation targeting victims in southern India. Acting on those leads, police raided a premises in Budhella, Vikaspuri, where they found six people, including the five women telecallers and Seraj Ansari, also known as Dawood, who allegedly managed the establishment and was arrested, taking the number of arrests to four.
In all, police recovered 21 mobile phones — 12 smartphones and nine keypad phones — along with records containing details of customers and suspected victims, ten notepads, five registers, a debit card, two cheque books and Rs 45,170 in cash.
According to police, the alleged network worked with separate roles: bank accounts and SIM cards were arranged to receive money, while telecallers persuaded victims to transfer funds by promising loans and scholarships, sharing account details, UPI IDs and QR codes for payment. The money was then withdrawn, including through ATMs, and distributed among members, with commissions allegedly kept for arranging accounts, SIM cards and transfers. The allegations are yet to be tested in court and the investigation is continuing.