Delhi: 14 held in police crackdown on cyber fraudsters

Police said the suspects used different modus operandi to dupe over 2,500 people from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana and Delhi in the last two years.

In a crackdown against cyber frauds based in Jharkhand’s Jamtara-Deoghar-Giridih-Jamui belt, Delhi Police’s cyber crime cell on Tuesday said they have arrested 14 people of a cheating syndicate following multiple raids conducted in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh between August 23 and 26.

Police said that the suspects allegedly created fake websites of popular e-commerce platforms and promoted them online using Google Ads and search engine optimisation.

Police said the suspects used different modus operandi to dupe over 2,500 people from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana and Delhi in the last two years. Among those arrested are Altaf Ansari, the kingpin of the syndicate, and Ghulam Ansari.

Police said that the suspects allegedly created fake websites of popular e-commerce platforms and promoted them online using Google Ads and search engine optimisation. They also allegedly impersonated bank employees and induced people into downloading remote access applications disguised as banking apps. The victims were reportedly tricked into making UPI transactions in the guise of welfare benefits.

Citing one such example, Anyesh Roy, DCP (CyPAD), said a doctor working at a private hospital in west Delhi was duped of ₹10 lakh while searching online for the customer care of a private bank. “She came across the fake website of the bank created by the cyber criminals, who convinced her to install a remote access app, and subsequently siphoned off ₹10 lakh from her account. Due to our prompt action, ₹8 lakh was blocked and returned to her immediately. A case was registered and investigation was taken up,” said Roy.

During the probe, Roy said, investigators found that the fraudsters were operating from the Jamtara-Deoghar-Giridih-Jamui belt. During one of the subsequent raids, Ghulam and four associates was arrested from Loni in Ghaziabad on August 23.

“Ghulam had jumped from the first floor of a building to avoid arrest, but the police personnel chased him and eventually caught him and his associates. Their interrogation led to the arrest of nine others, including Altaf Ansari, from the four districts of Jharkhand on August 24 and 26,” said Roy.

Police said the suspects also revealed that they duped pregnant and lactating women -- after getting their contact details from anganwadi workers through fraudulent means -- by promising them ₹5,000 under a government scheme.