Police bust Rs 16 crore interstate cyber fraud syndicate, 9 held

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted an interstate cyber fraud syndicate involved in large-scale online investment scams worth over Rs 16 crore and arrested nine people, an official said on Thursday.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) on September 12, alleging that the complainant was cheated after being lured through a social media platform with promises of attractive and assured investment returns.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered, and an investigation was initiated.

During the probe, police examined the money trail. Screenshots of transactions provided by the complainant revealed that the cheated amount had been routed through multiple beneficiary bank accounts.

Police found that significant transactions were conducted through accounts maintained in a private bank and a government bank in the name of Shoukath Ali. The linked mobile number was also registered in his name.

Acting on this lead, a police team conducted a raid in Kerala and arrested Ali.

"Interrogation revealed that Ali was part of a cyber fraud network operating across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, with international links traced to Dubai," the officer said.

Subsequently, three teams were formed, and simultaneous raids were carried out at multiple locations, leading to the arrest of eight more accused.

"Those arrested include Babu Pynadath and Anthonies Babu from Kerala; Devender Pandey, Durav Raj Mishra and Mohd Adnan Raza from Uttar Pradesh; Farooq from Delhi; Amma Gunta Kavitha from Andhra Pradesh; and K V Shiva Yogi from Karnataka," he added.

Explaining the modus operandi, police said the accused ran a structured cybercrime module focused on online investment fraud. Key members of the gang arranged agents, often young people, and got bank accounts opened in their names or in the names of shell firms.

These agents were provided accommodation, while their bank accounts were operated remotely through mobile banking applications, police said.

The main handlers, allegedly operating from abroad, controlled these accounts and directed the flow of funds.

The stolen money was quickly rotated through multiple accounts to mislead investigators and evade detection.

"During the operation, the team recovered 11 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards, ATM cards, cheque books, passbooks and other incriminating material. A total of 286 NCRP complaints were found linked to the beneficiary accounts, indicating fraud of more than Rs 16 crore across the country," the officer said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added. PTI BM HIG