Saharanpur (UP) | Two suspected cyber fraudsters have been arrested for allegedly duping a judge here of Rs 23.99 lakh on the pretext of arranging a Haj pilgrimage, police said on Thursday.
According to cyber crime police, the accused, associated with a Lucknow-based firm named "Al Fahad Tourism Company", had collected the money online promising to facilitate the pilgrimage but failed to make any arrangements and later began evading contact.
A complaint was lodged at the cyber crime police station after the judge realised he had been cheated.
Police said the firm did not possess any valid licence for organising such travel services.
Following directions from Senior Superintendent of Police Abhinandan Singh, a cyber crime team led by Inspector Indresh Singh launched an investigation and arrested Osama Rashidi and Ejaz Ahmad, both residents of Lucknow.
Police said a case had been registered against four accused, including the company's director Aamir Rashidi and another associate, and efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects and recover the defrauded amount.
The arrested accused are being produced before a court, and further legal proceedings are underway, police said.
Officials have advised the public to remain cautious against cyber fraud, avoid sharing OTPs with unknown persons and report any such incidents immediately on the cyber helpline number 1930.
Ramgarh (Jharkhand) | Jharkhand police on Thursday said it has unearthed a network of interstate cyber frauds and arrested four miscreants for fraudulent transactions through a bank account in Ramgarh district after complaints of 274 suspected transactions in 24 states.
The states where complaints for fraudulent transactions were registered included Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.
The action followed inputs received through 'Samanvaya portal', a centralised, web-based platform launched by the Union Home Ministry to curb cybercrime.
"We arrested four cyber miscreants after a current account with Kuju (Ramgarh) branch of the State Bank of India was found to have registered suspected financial transactions in 24 states with the help of the Pratibimba portal of the Home Ministry through the Samanvaya portal," Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Lunayat said.
During the probe, police found that the account was opened under the MSME Udyam Registration scheme in the name of Shree Ganesh Enterprises, he said.
The account had been linked to as many as 274 complaints from different states related to cyber fraud and illegal fund transfers.
The registered proprietors of the enterprise were identified as Rahul Gupta (37), Ravi Kumar Verma (34), and Ajay Sharma (33), all residents of Ramgarh district, a statement from the Ramgarh police said.
During interrogation, Rahul Gupta and Ravi Kumar Verma revealed that they had opened multiple current accounts at the behest of Ritesh Agrawal alias Munna (40) and Sonu Kumar Jha (34).
They admitted receiving Rs 1.2 lakh in exchange for facilitating the opening of these accounts.
"The accused further confessed to sharing OTPs, activating mobile banking services, and handing over control of the accounts to the main operators through WhatsApp and Telegram groups. These accounts were then allegedly used to route fraudulent transactions.
Police said mobile data analysis of the accused led to the recovery of crucial digital evidence, including details of SIM cards, bank accounts, passbooks, ATM cards, QR code scanners, Aadhaar cards, and PAN cards shared through messaging platforms.
A total of four accused have been arrested so far and sent to judicial custody.
A case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Further investigation is underway, the police said.
Kanpur (UP) | Kanpur Police on Thursday busted a high-tech cyber fraud syndicate and arrested its eight members, including five bank officials, for allegedly facilitating mule accounts and hawala transactions worth Rs 125 crore across the country, officials said.
The action was initiated after alerts received through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), following which the Barra police uncovered a well-organised network involved in cyber fraud, 'digital arrest' scams and routing illicit funds through fake firms and trust accounts.
Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the gang handled proceeds from multiple cybercrimes nationwide, and its links have emerged in at least 17 such cases.
He said the probe has also connected the syndicate to a Rs 58 crore "digital arrest" fraud reported in Navi Mumbai around six months ago, with Rs 2.5 crore traced to a Kanpur-based bank account.
The alleged kingpin, Rajveer Singh Yadav, a resident of Barra, is absconding and is accused of arranging mule accounts and coordinating fund transfers, the police said.
According to officials, one mule account operated by a delivery agent saw transactions worth Rs 67 crore in just three months through a fake firm named "Cisco Commerce India", while another account linked to a fictitious firm "Rajaram Traders" in Agra recorded transactions of Rs 53 crore within seven months.
Three accused, Sonu Sharma, Satish Pandey and Sahil Vishwakarma, were allegedly paid a 20 per cent commission for allowing their bank accounts to be used, the police said.
The syndicate is estimated to have siphoned off around Rs 125 crore within a few months, they added.
In a separate case, Rs 2.5 crore routed through a Kanpur resident's account was traced, of which Rs 98 lakh has been frozen. Police said the account holder was unaware of the transactions.
Investigators said the gang lured people into opening bank accounts on the pretext of housing schemes, government benefits or industrial registrations. These accounts were then used to route fraudulent funds through multiple layers, including trust accounts and hawala channels.
A Karnataka-based trust also came under the scanner, with nearly Rs 30 crore routed through it. The racket followed a fixed commission structure, 20 per cent for intermediary trusts, 10 per cent for handlers, and 70 per cent passed on to the main fraudsters.
A key finding in the probe is the alleged involvement of bank officials. Those arrested include staff from private and small finance banks as well as an agent, the police said.
They allegedly tipped off fraudsters about impending account freezes, enabling rapid withdrawals, sometimes Rs 4-5 lakh per hour, before action could be taken.
The police said fake GST firms and trust accounts were opened with insider help to bypass transaction limits, while ATM cards and cheque books were diverted to fraudsters through manipulated delivery systems.
During the operation, police recovered 24 fake GST firms, 60 mule accounts, 24 SIM cards and nine mobile phones.
Efforts are underway to trace the absconding kingpin, whose last known location is near Chhattisgarh, the officials sai, Apr 30 (PTI) d.
The police have urged citizens to remain vigilant against cyber fraud and "digital arrest" scams and to report suspicious calls or transactions immediately for prompt action.
New Delhi | Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju on Thursday asked banks to adopt the MuleHunter AI tool developed by RBI at the earliest for timely identification and prevention of mule accounts involved in financial cyber frauds.
During a meeting with senior officials of law enforcement agency, RBI and banks, he reviewed the digital financial frauds and increasing use of mule accounts by the cyber criminals.
During the meeting he also advised State Level Bankers' Committee to sensitise the State Police Authorities about the steps taken by the banks for prevention of cyber financial frauds and undertake greater public awareness initiatives, the Department of Financial Services said in a post on X.
The discussion focused on ‘Operation Octopus’ recently carried out by the Hyderabad Police, and learnings emerged from it, it said.
It was emphasised to strengthen coordinated efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial fraud and enhance customer protection, it said.
The meeting emphasized closer collaboration among law enforcement agencies and banks, real-time intelligence sharing, and faster response mechanisms to detect and prevent digital financial frauds under Operation Octopus, it added.
