Delhi Police bust international cyber fraud gang, ₹5.24 crore siphoned

Accused allegedly supplied bank accounts and laundered proceeds using cryptocurrency and hawala. One key conduit linked suppliers to foreign kingpins.

With the arrest of nine people, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell claims to have busted a gang of international cyber fraudsters allegedly involved in duping many people of over ₹5.24 crore.

Nine arrests after a Dwarka hotel raid led by IFSO. Fraud money was routed via mule bank accounts, hawala networks and USDT crypto, police said. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said the accused would procure bank accounts and route fraud proceeds through multiple layers such as hawala channels and cryptocurrency transactions.

The arrests were made on November 26, when the IFSO received a tip-off and a hotel in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka was raided. Four men – Sultan Salim Shaikh of Maharashtra’s Palghar, Sayed Ahmad Choudhary of Bengaluru, Satish Kumar of Thane’s Bhiwandi, and Tushar Maliya of Shahdara –-were apprehended from the hotel room.

“During interrogation, the accused said they were supplying bank accounts for cyber fraud activities on the instructions of other handlers and frequently changed locations to evade arrest,” a senior police officer said.

Shaikh opened a current account about a month ago and provided this to the fraudsters to keep the defrauded money. He was promised 25% commission on fraudulent transactions and was provided with a new mobile phone. Alerts related to suspicious transactions were recovered from his phone, police said.

An examination of the bank statement revealed that the account was opened with an initial deposit of ₹25,421 and was used to carry out 10,423 transactions between November 21 and November 26, involving a total amount of ₹5.24 crore, officers added.

Subsequently, five more members –-Shivam and Sunil, both residents of Delhi; Parbhu Dayal, Tarun Sharma and Suresh Kumar Kumawat from Rajasthan – were arrested.

Police identified Kumawat as a key operative who acted as a conduit between bank account suppliers and the kingpins. “He facilitated the movement of fraud proceeds through hawala networks and cryptocurrency, particularly USDT, using circular transactions to convert digital money into cash,” an officer explained.

Searches at his residence led to the recovery of several cheque books, debit cards, bank documents and a notice issued under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) by the Bengaluru Police, they said.

A case has been registered under sections 112 (punishment for petty crimes) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Special Cell police station, and further investigation is underway to identify hawala operators and alleged masterminds suspected to be operating from abroad.

Twelve mobile phones containing incriminating chats and digital evidence have been seized so far, police said.