Delhi Police busts trans-national cybercrime, money laundering racket; 9 held

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Delhi Police have arrested nine members of a trans-national cyber crime syndicate allegedly involved in large-scale online fraud and money laundering, with transactions worth over Rs 5.24 crore routed through compromised bank accounts, police said on Saturday.

The accused were apprehended following a raid at a hotel in Dwarka on November 26, where the gang was allegedly operating. They frequently changed locations to evade law enforcement agencies, they said.

Those arrested include Sultan Salim Shaikh (Maharashtra), Sayed Ahmad Choudhary (Bengaluru), Satish Kumar (Thane), Tushar Maliya, Shivam, Sunil -- all three from Delhi and Parbhu Dayal, Tarun Sharma, and Suresh Kumar Kumawat from Rajasthan.

The police said specific intelligence was received on November 26 that a cyber-fraud gang was operating from a hotel in Dwarka and was clandestinely using multiple bank accounts for fraudulent activities.

Acting on the input, police conducted a raid in which four accused from a hotel room were first apprehended, followed by the arrest of five others based on their disclosures.

During interrogation, the accused revealed they were part of a well-organised network that procured bank accounts through middlemen and supplied them to cyber-fraud operators for commission.

One of the accused, Sultan Salim Shaikh, allegedly opened a current account with a private bank on the promise of a 25 per cent commission on fraudulent transactions and was provided a mobile phone to coordinate the operation.

Analysis of one such account allegedly opened by Shaikh showed more than 10,400 transactions were carried out between November 21 and 26, involving a total amount of Rs 5.24 crore, police said.

Investigators said the syndicate operated through a layered structure involving account holders, intermediaries and end-users, with proceeds allegedly laundered through hawala channels and cryptocurrency transactions, including USDT, they said.

Suresh Kumar Kumawat allegedly acted as a key link between account suppliers and the main cybercrime operators, police said.

Police recovered 12 mobile phones containing incriminating chats, cheque books, debit cards, bank-related documents and a notice issued by the Bengaluru Police in another case during the search.

A case has been registered and further investigation is in progress, encompassing detailed digital forensic analysis and raids to identify other associates, including hawala operators and alleged masterminds based abroad. PTI SSJ SMV NB