Chandigarh: Five held in ₹52-lakh cyber fraud case

The accused coerced the victim into believing that a Canara Bank account, in which ₹6.8 crore had been transacted, was linked to his identity, and he had allegedly received a 10% commission

The Cyber Crime police have cracked a fraud case in which a city resident lost ₹52 lakh under the guise of a money laundering investigation.

The case dates back to November 22, 2024. (Shutterstock)

The five accused, including the mastermind, have been arrested from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The case dates back to November 22, 2024, when Harinath Singh reported that on October 2, 2024, he received a call from an unknown number claiming that a SIM card had been issued against his Aadhaar card and was being used for fraudulent activities. The caller further alleged that multiple complaints and an FIR were registered against him, threatening deactivation of all his mobile numbers within two hours.

The fraudsters also made Singh speak to an individual posing as a Mumbai police officer via WhatsApp, who falsely implicated him in the Naresh Goyal money laundering case. The accused coerced Singh into believing that a Canara Bank account, in which ₹6.8 crore had been transacted, was linked to his identity, and he had allegedly received a 10% commission. Under fear of arrest, Singh was manipulated into keeping the matter confidential and remain on a continuous video call.

During the investigation, Chandigarh cyber police arrested Hasnain Haider from Lucknow. Based on his disclosure, two of his associates, Hamza Harmain, 26, and Mohammed Asad, 26, were also apprehended.

With these arrests, a total of five people have been nabbed in connection with the case.