Two people were arrested on Saturday after a joint team of cybercrime police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) busted an alleged cyber fraud hub operating from what appeared to be a routine call centre in Jajmau. According to Kanpur police, the network’s financial trail has reached ₹5,600 crore.
The network allegedly lured people with promises of high returns on investments and routed their money through fake firms, gaming platforms and multiple bank accounts. Police have arrested two alleged masterminds, while five other suspects remain on the run.
The accused have been identified as 24-year-old Shahzeb Waris of Talaq Mahal in Beconganj and 31-year-old Mohd Salman of Chamanganj.
Police commissioner Raghuveer Lal stated that the gang had opened 72 suspicious bank accounts with 14 banks in Kanpur. HDFC Bank accounts recorded the highest volume of the alleged fraudulent transactions, police said. The network was found to have links across more than 18 states, including Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Investigators found 86 complaints linked to the alleged network on the national crime records bureau’s portal, police said. The investigation has so far uncovered financial transactions worth around ₹5,600 crore, he added.
The gang allegedly targeted victims by promising high returns on investments. After the victims transferred money, the funds were routed into accounts of fictitious firms opened in Kanpur and other cities.
{{/usCountry}}The gang allegedly targeted victims by promising high returns on investments. After the victims transferred money, the funds were routed into accounts of fictitious firms opened in Kanpur and other cities.
{{/usCountry}}The accused then moved the money through various gaming platforms and a network of bank accounts to make it difficult to trace its source. The funds were allegedly withdrawn in cash after being routed through multiple accounts and sent to different states through hawala channels, or reinvested through the fictitious firms, said police.
Additional DCP (operations) Sumit Ramteke said, the police operation also led to the recovery of ₹65.26 lakh in cash. The joint cyber and crime branch team also seized two Android phones, cheque books, ATM cards and fake GST and Udyam registration certificates from the accused.
WhatsApp conversations and call recordings recovered from the suspects’ phones provided investigators with further leads, including alleged international links to the network, police said.
The two arrested men were also allegedly involved in earlier cybercrime cases. Police said cybercrime units in Hyderabad, Noida and Agra had previously registered cases against them. During questioning, the accused allegedly named five other associates — Ihtisham Hussain, Shavez Ilahi, Mohd Muzammil, Ikhlaq Hussain and Mohd Arif. Police teams are conducting raids to arrest them.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology act. Investigators are now coordinating with cyber crime units in other states to trace the wider network and establish how the ₹5,600-crore financial trail was generated and where the money ultimately went.
The reported Jajmau operation comes amid heightened police action against fraudulent call centres and cyber networks in the area; in a separate operation earlier this week, police had arrested 11 people from a fake call centre allegedly targeting foreign nationals.