Delhi: Two of interstate fraud syndicate arrested

According to police, the stolen money was first routed through multiple FASTag payments and then converted into Amazon gift cards.

Two men were arrested by Delhi Police for operating an interstate cyber fraud syndicate that allegedly laundered cheated money through FASTag payments and Amazon gifts cards, said police on Saturday.

Police said they recovered 10 laptops, 70 mobile phones, 37 ATM cards, 10 bank passbooks, 467 SIM cards, five FASTags and one POS machine. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said that the arrests were madeafter a Delhi resident in a complaint, reported thathe received a WhatsApp message about an e-challan containing an APK file. After opening the file, his phone was compromised and over ₹1 lakh was fraudulently deducted from his credit card, police said, adding that the complaint was converted to an e-FIR as the amount exceeded ₹1 lakh.

According to police, the stolen money was first routed through multiple FASTag payments and then converted into Amazon gift cards. The funds were credited into a pool account maintained in an IDFC Bank account, to which several FASTags were linked.

A probe was launched and technical analysis, vehicle ownership checks and digital evidence led the police to Gharsana in Sri Ganganagar district in Rajasthan, said police.

Police said raids were conducted and the accused duo Ghan Shyam alias GB boss alias Sonu, 29, and Naresh Kumar alias, 27, were arrested.

During investigation, Sonu allegedly disclosed that he had opened firms named Bansari Brothers and Ventures, initially linked to e-Mitra services for bill payments, said police. “When profits were low, the accused began misusing their accounts to receive cheated money,” a police officer said.

Police said after verification it was revealed that there were multiple complaints from different states registered on the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) linked to the bank accounts and mobile numbers used by the accused.

Police said they recovered 10 laptops, 70 mobile phones, 37 ATM cards, 10 bank passbooks, 467 SIM cards, five FASTags and one POS machine.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (West) Sharad Darade said the case exposed a new money laundering route. “The cheated amount was first utilised for FASTag payments and then converted into Amazon gift cards, which shows a sophisticated modus operandi to hide digital trails,” he said. He added that the recovery of a large number of devices and SIM cards points to a well-organised syndicate operating across multiple states”.

Darade said further investigation is underway to identify other associates and trace the full money trail. “We are coordinating with banks, payment service providers and other state police units to widen the probe,” he said.