Almost eight months after Chandigarh Police’s cyber crime branch busted the instant loan app racket in September last year, with the arrest of 33 people including a Chinese national Wan Chengua, police have now arrested a Delhi resident who helped another Chinese kingpin escape through Nepal in 2022.
The accused was identified as Bharat Kumar, 41, of Karol Bagh, New Delhi.
Probe officials revealed that Bharat had worked in China between 2006 to 2011, but returned to India in 2016 and started a business of mobile accessories in partnership with Chinese nationals in New Delhi.
He came in contact with Stark, the alleged kingpin of the said racket, in 2022 through his friend, Yao.
“He knew that Stark was a Chinese national and had a fake Nepal passport. After that, they set up a shell company Alpha Genetech Private Limited, which is registered for digital marketing and online dating applications. Bharat Kumar, along with his wife, became its directors,” cyber police stated in a media statement.
In June 2022, Bharat introduced his associates Ashish Jain, Daksh Partap Singh, both with previous criminal records and Ayush Agarwal with Stark, to convert the Indian currency into cryptocurrency.
“After a meeting in Delhi, the distribution of commission amount amongst them was decided. Bharat, Ashish Jain, Daksh Partap Singh and Ayush Agarwal started converting the cheated Indian money into cryptocurrency and sending the same to Stark”, the statement further read.
{{/usCountry}}“After a meeting in Delhi, the distribution of commission amount amongst them was decided. Bharat, Ashish Jain, Daksh Partap Singh and Ayush Agarwal started converting the cheated Indian money into cryptocurrency and sending the same to Stark”, the statement further read.
{{/usCountry}}In July 2022, amid a crackdown on Chinese nationals residing in India illegally in connection with the case, Bharat dropped Stark at the India-Nepal border, from where the latter escaped to China.
“Stark is operating an online loan application scam from China and these people send him huge amounts by using different crypto wallets. Proceedings to issue red corner notice against him are in progress,” police said.
The accused was also involved in allegedly blackmailing people who had installed the instant loan apps in their devices. The accused would access victims’ private media from their mobile phones through the app and blackmail them.
The investigations so far have found 1,578 linkages across the country and 89 first information reports have been registered.
“Around 60 persons have committed suicide all over India and people also hesitate to lodge the complaint as the scammers morphed the pictures of their family and threat to viral the same on social media,” police added.