Rajasthan Police have busted an interstate cyber fraud gang accused of cheating and blackmailing a 56-year-old woman from Jhalawar under the pretext of purchasing old and rare coins, IANS reported from Jaipur on Wednesday, November 11. Six accused, including the alleged kingpin Ajit Yadav, were arrested in Bihar, while three juveniles — two boys and a girl — have been detained in connection with the case, Jhalawar Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said. Police disclosed the arrests, made on November 6, on November 11.

Source: IANS

The deceased, Madhubala Thakur, a resident of Subhash Colony in Jhalawar, had responded to social media advertisements circulated by the gang under the name 'RJ Gyani Old Coin Company', which claimed to buy old coins and rare currency notes for lakhs of rupees, Nation Press reported. The accused allegedly demanded modest payments at first and then escalated their demands under shifting pretexts; when she said she could not pay more and sought a refund, the harassment allegedly intensified. Her family has said about Rs 13 lakh was taken from her, while investigators have so far traced a money trail of about Rs 4 lakh, News89 reported, citing India Today.

Source: Nation Press / News89 (India Today)

According to SP Amit Kumar, the gang sent AI-generated photographs and videos over WhatsApp — including fabricated footage of police officers assaulting a young man, images of a damaged car and an injured person, and fake hospital bills — to extort more money on the pretext of medical emergencies, and an AI-generated image of bundles of Rs 500 notes in front of police personnel at Jhalawar police station, IANS reported. The accused also allegedly sent a forged notice on a fake Delhi Police letterhead carrying her name, address and photograph, falsely claiming Rs 5.50 lakh had been seized, and threatened to implicate her son in a serious criminal case, warning that his life could be in danger. Unable to bear the losses, harassment and threats to her family, she died by suicide.

Source: IANS

After the death, her daughter Kalpana Thakur lodged a complaint at Kotwali police station on November 1, and police first registered a case under provisions relating to abetment of suicide, Nation Press reported. A special investigation team was formed under Additional Superintendent of Police Bhagchand Meena, supervised by Circle Officer Harshraj Singh Khareda; technical analysis of the deceased's phone, bank accounts, online transactions, UPI QR codes and call records traced the network to Bihar. Provisions relating to cheating, extortion and the Information Technology Act have since been added to the case.

Source: Nation Press

Three police teams led by the station house officers of Bakani, Raipur and Mandawar travelled about 1,500 km to Bihar and, with the help of Bihar Police, raided multiple locations in Saharsa, Madhepura and Khagaria districts on November 6, arresting six accused and seizing mobile phones used in the alleged fraud, IANS and Nation Press reported. The six were brought to Jhalawar on transit remand and a court has remanded them in three days of police custody; the three juveniles have been sent to a juvenile observation home. All allegations remain under investigation, the arrested persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and police say further interrogation is expected to establish the full scale of the network.

Source: IANS / Nation Press