6 online fraudsters held in Rajasthan by Noida Police
The suspects connected with the digital arrest gang online and communicated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups
The cyber crime branch of Noida Police arrested six men in Rajasthan on Saturday for operating 73 bank accounts that were used to siphon off money from victims, police said on Sunday. The men were allegedly part of the “digital arrest” gang, who used to pose as investigating officers and pretend to arrest victims online, they added.
The suspects allegedly paid up to ₹3 lakh per month to individuals for using their accounts to receive payments from the scams, police added.
The arrests followed the case of Pramod Kumar, a 67-year-old resident of Sector 76 in Noida, who was duped of ₹52.50 lakh on May 9. Kumar reported receiving a call from an unidentified number, leading to a WhatsApp video call during which he was told his parcel contained illegal drugs and his identity cards.
“Later, Kumar was connected to another suspect over a WhatsApp video call and ended up losing ₹52,50,000 in the 24-hour-long video call that the scammers claimed to be for verifying his background and account by the police,” said Cyber Crime Branch assistant commissioner of police, Vivek Ranjan.
The ACP further added that “Kumar was blackmailed by the ‘digital arrest’ gang who alleged that he was part of a terrorist gang. To put the suspect under digital arrest, the gang sent him a fake notice that he would be jailed if he disclosed the investigation process to anyone.”
On the complaint of Kumar, a case under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating and dishonesty) of the IPC and the IT Act was registered at the Cyber Crime branch police station on May 14.
“Following extensive electronic surveillance and months of investigation, we managed to nab the accused, identified as Kishan, 23, a resident of Sikar in Rajasthan. He is a Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) student and was the mastermind of the six-member gang providing fake bank accounts to the digital arrest gang,” said ACP Ranjan.
He added that Kishan’s associates have been identified as Lakhan, 23, Mahendra, 23, Sanjay Sharma, 32, Sambhu Dayal, 41, all residents of Sidwana in Rajasthan, and Praveen Jangid, 31, a resident of Jaipur.
Police recovered seven mobile phones, a car, and fake Aadhar cards from the suspects. ACP Vivek Ranjan revealed that these individuals were part of an organised gang that duped people by posing as police and conducting fake verifications. “The gang used bank accounts from villagers in Rajasthan, paying them up to ₹3 lakh monthly,” said Ranjan, adding that 73 bank accounts were recovered.
The investigation on the National Cyber Crime Response Reporting Portal (NCCRP) revealed that the accounts were flagged as fraudulent in 18 states, including Delhi, the ACP said. The suspects connected with the digital arrest gang online to dupe victims across India and communicated via WhatsApp and Telegram groups, he added.
“When we investigated bank accounts in the National Cyber Crime Response Reporting Portal (NCCRP), it came to light that these accounts were reported as fraud in 18 states including Delhi,” said ACP Ranjan.
He further added that “the suspects provide these bank accounts to the digital arrest gang to dupe people in different parts of India. Investigation revealed that the prime suspect came in touch with the gang online and operated through groups made in ‘WhatsApp’ and ‘Telegram.’”
The suspects are undergoing further interrogation, and additional arrests are expected. ACP Ranjan also urged people to report cyber fraud by dialling 1930.