Prayagraj: Gang of Jharkhand-based cyber conmen busted, six held

Scanning of the bank accounts revealed that the accused have committed online cyber frauds with bank customers in different states of the country.

In a major breakthrough, the cyber cell of Prayagraj police busted a gang of Jharkhand-based cyber fraudsters and arrested six of its members with cash, ATM cards and documents. The arrested gang members were involved in transferring cash through online fraud into their bank accounts opened on forged documents. The arrested gang members confessed to having been involved in many cases of cyber fraud including in Prayagraj and Varanasi. Some members of the gang were still at large, police said.

Prayagraj: The majority of the victims have also registered complaints against them in their local police stations. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)

SSP Prayagraj Shailesh Kumar Pandey said acting on a tip-off joint, teams of cyber cell and Colonelganj police under SHO Rammohan Rai arrested six cyber fraudsters identified as Vikas Das, Rakesh Kumar Mandal, Manish Kumar Mandal, Santosh Kumar Rai, Govind Mandal and Karan Kumar Mandal. The arrested accused belonged to different villages of Giridih in Jharkhand and were living on rent in the Chhota Baghada area of Prayagraj.

Questioning from prime accused Vikas Das revealed that wanted accused Sitaram Mandal used to lure youths of his district to Prayagraj on the pretext of providing them jobs. He used to lodge them in rented rooms and get their addresses changed on their Aadhaar cards for opening accounts in different banks. Accused Vikas and his aides Mantu Mandal and Pawan Mandal used these bank accounts to transfer cash earned through online financial frauds. Vikas Mandal used to withdraw the cash through ATMs and deliver it to their hideouts in Jharkhand sometimes also transfer it to bank accounts given by Mantu Mandal.

Scanning of the bank accounts revealed that the accused have committed online cyber frauds with bank customers in different states of the country. The majority of the victims have also registered complaints against them in their local police stations. The frauds included one with Surendra Kumar Srivastava of Varanasi whose cash of ₹1. 02 lakh was transferred to one of the bank accounts of the fraudsters. Srivastava has lodged an FIR in this connection at the Maduadih police station. The accused have two other cases registered under IT Act and other sections at Colonelganj police station.

SSP said cash worth ₹33,400, a tablet, 6 mobile phones, 25 bank passbooks, 14 chequebooks, 30 ATM cards, 17 Aadhaar cards, 7 PAN cards, 2 bank account kits of Axis Bank and 13 SIM cards were recovered from their possession.