New Delhi, March 18 The Delhi Police has arrested three individuals for allegedly facilitating the operations of a major "digital fraud" racket that cheated a resident of Paschim Vihar of Rs 14.2 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.
The accused – Md Kaif (21) and Monish (21), residents of Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh, and Sashindar Ram (29), a resident of Rangareddi in Andhra Pradesh – were allegedly involved in arranging bank accounts to launder the proceeds of cybercrime, police said.
The case came to light after a complaint was lodged by Satyapal Gupta on February 21, alleging that he received a call from a person posing as a senior police officer. The caller claimed that Gupta's bank accounts were linked to money laundering operations and threatened him with arrest.
Acting under fear, Gupta transferred Rs 14.2 lakh to a bank account provided by the fraudsters. Later, realizing that he had been cheated, he approached the police, following which a case was registered under relevant sections.
During the investigation, police traced the first beneficiary account to a current account in the name of Renudar Services & Solutions Private Ltd. The account showed suspicious transactions amounting to around Rs 2.2 crore, a senior police officer said.
A police team analysed the account details and technical data, and apprehended Sashindar Ram from ISBT Kashmere Gate on March 9.
During interrogation, Ram revealed that he had allowed his bank account to be used for fraudulent transactions in exchange for a commission, and the account had been opened specifically for such activities, police said.
Based on his disclosure and further technical surveillance, two more accused, Kaif and Monish, were apprehended from Kairana and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. They were allegedly working as team leaders involved in opening bank accounts to facilitate cyber fraud operations.
Police said three mobile phones were recovered from the accused, and examination of the devices revealed incriminating chats linked to the fraud network.
Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other members of the organized cyber fraud syndicate, they added.
