Synopsis
In a significant operation, the Cyber Crimes unit of Hyderabad city police has detained 52 cyber fraudsters, encompassing four bank officials. This action revealed extensive fraudulent activities across various states, leading to the recovery of substantial amounts in cash and cryptocurrency.Key Takeaways
- 52 cyber fraudsters apprehended including four bank officials.
- Operation conducted across multiple states in India.
- Seized assets include 44 mobile phones and 39 ATM cards.
- Fraudulent activities led to losses exceeding Rs 88.32 crore.
- Several types of fraud schemes identified.
Hyderabad, Jan 29 (NationPress) The Cyber Crimes unit of Hyderabad city police has apprehended 52 cyber fraudsters, which includes four bank officials, during a comprehensive operation executed across multiple regions of the country.
Seven teams were deployed across various states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, and Telangana, to capture the suspects.
The Police Commissioner, C. V. Anand, indicated that this initiative led to the detention of 52 individuals, among them three principal masterminds. The operation also uncovered 33 significant cases investigated by the Cybercrime Police Station, with the total fraudulent amount surpassing Rs 88.32 crore.
The types of fraud included trading fraud, digital arrest, investment fraud, data theft, social media scams, part-time job fraud, APK file scams, USDT purchases, job fraud, and Tipline (CSAM).
The suspects are linked to 576 cases nationwide, with 74 cases originating from Telangana.
Authorities confiscated 44 mobile phones, 39 ATM cards, 17 passbooks, 54 chequebooks, 16 SIM cards, three laptops, 13 shell stamps, nine Aadhaar cards/PAN cards, three QR codes, NRT cash amounting to Rs.47.90 lakh, and cryptocurrency valued at Rs 40 lakh.
The Police Commissioner revealed that over Rs 2.87 crore have been frozen in the suspects' bank accounts.
Among the arrested were three bank officials implicated in a Rs 2.98 crore trading fraud. Police reported that Shubham Kumar Jha, Deputy Manager at RBL Bank, Bengaluru, played a pivotal role in facilitating the fraudulent transactions by misusing his access to sensitive financial information.
Haroon Rasheed Imamuddin Dharawad, Assistant Vice President at Axis Bank, Bengaluru, allegedly leveraged his position to endorse illicit transactions and circumvent standard banking procedures, allowing substantial sums of money to be siphoned off.
Kata Srinivasa Rao, Sales Manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank, purportedly exploited his role to recruit unaware customers into fraudulent schemes and helped establish accounts utilized for money laundering, facilitating extensive financial fraud.
The Cyber Crime police confiscated cryptocurrency worth Rs 40 lakh and cash totaling Rs 47.50 lakh. The accused converted the withdrawn cash into cryptocurrency to obscure financial trails and avoid detection.
The Cyber Crime unit also apprehended two individuals from Gujarat involved in a Rs 3 crore digital arrest fraud. Harpal Singh and Saiyad Aiyub Bhai, both from Gujarat, were found to be associated with 17 cases nationwide during the investigation.
They deceived a woman doctor in Hyderabad out of Rs.3 crore by impersonating a Delhi-based IPS officer. They misled the doctor over a Skype call, alleging her involvement in money laundering, and sent her an order they claimed was issued by the Chief Justice of India, prompting her to deposit Rs 3 crore into the accounts they provided.
The Cyber Crime unit also dismantled a Rs 2.06 crore stock trading fraud case, resulting in the arrest of five suspects, including the sales manager of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
The accused allegedly orchestrated the fraud using various mule bank accounts to withdraw ill-gotten funds, converting the money into cryptocurrency, and transferring the proceeds to Dubai-based cyber fraudsters through Hawala networks.
The arrested individuals include Reddy Praveen from Velpuru, West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, Kata Srinivasa Rao, Sales Manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank, JNTU Branch, Mohammed Ismail, a travel business operator, Mohammed Junaid, involved in crypto trading, and Maganti Jaya Kiran, a ready-mix concrete businessman.
The victim reported to the police that he was ensnared by the fraudsters under the guise of high-return investments and was enticed to invest via a fraudulent trading platform, "Anisha App." The fraud commenced with messages persuading the victim to join a WhatsApp group, “VIP H8-5,” where members shared fabricated stock trading profit success stories related to the Anisha App. Trusting these claims, the victim opened an account with the app and made multiple investments, ultimately suffering a loss exceeding Rs 2.06 crore.
