Delhi Police has busted an organized cyber fraud gang, which used to target people by posing as senior officers of the Indian Army and Air Force. Police have arrested four accused in this case. This gang used to extort money from people by luring them with fake identities and influential positions. Recently, during the investigation of a case of fraud of Rs 5 lakh, the police got the clue of this network, after which the four accused were arrested while taking action.
Investigation has revealed that the accused were running a well-planned network to carry out cyber fraud. They also arranged for SIM cards and bank accounts from outsiders. The accused told during interrogation that they had obtained about 30 SIM cards at the rate of Rs 1,500 per SIM card. Apart from this, six bank accounts were also made available at the rate of Rs 6,000 per bank account, which were used to transfer the defrauded amount.
The complainant told the police that some unknown people, posing as Indian Air Force officers, had talked to him about making a deal for the purchase and supply of aluminous laterite (40–45% grade) used in industrial use. To build trust, the accused also showed him a purported purchase order issued by the Indian Air Force. Later in the investigation, it became clear that the purchase order was completely fake and had been prepared only with the intention of cheating. Through this fake document and false claim of being an army officer, the accused had tried to win the trust of the victim.
When the victim fell in the trap of the accused and sent the agreed goods, the fraudsters made a new excuse saying that his name was not included in the “Approved Vendor List”. After this, they started demanding him to deposit additional money in the name of vendor registration and completing the formal process. During this time the victim suspected that he was being cheated. He immediately reported the matter to the police. According to the complainant, due to this entire fraud, he suffered a total financial loss of Rs 5,06,415. Based on the complaint, Delhi Crime Branch registered a case and FIR was registered under relevant sections including forgery, cheating by using fake identity.
Considering the seriousness of the case and its inter-state network, the police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The team, based on technical surveillance and intelligence, identified the users of the SIM card from which the victim was contacted. Investigation revealed that the people in whose name this SIM card was issued were identified as Manish and Kaushal, who are residents of Bulandshahr and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. The police arrested both of them.
After this, taking the action further, two other active members of this gang, Burhan alias Aamir and Rizwan Ahmed, who are said to be residents of Nuh (Mewat) area of Haryana, were also arrested. During interrogation, the accused admitted that for this entire cyber fraud, several SIM cards were purchased in the names of different persons. These SIM cards were later given to other gang members, who targeted traders and suppliers by posing as Indian Army and Air Force officers.
The accused also admitted during interrogation that they had maintained a separate supply chain of SIM cards and bank accounts to keep the entire network active. Under this arrangement, about 30 SIM cards were purchased at the rate of Rs 1,500 per SIM card, while six bank accounts were arranged at the rate of Rs 6,000 per account, which were used to transact the defrauded amount. Police have so far arrested four accused in this case, who have been identified as Manish, Kaushal, Aamir and Rizwan Ahmed. On the basis of interrogation of all of them, continuous raids and search operations are being carried out in search of other associates.
Investigation has also revealed that this gang was running an organized cyber fraud racket by posing as Indian Air Force officers. The accused used fake identity cards, forged purchase orders and other fabricated government documents to gain the trust of traders and suppliers. On the basis of these documents, they used to place large orders and get the goods and later try to charge extra money in the name of vendor registration or other formalities.
The accused also told during interrogation that when the traders used to deliver the goods to the designated place, then they were pressurized to deposit additional amount in the name of “Account Mapping”, “Vendor Registration” or other formal processes. In cases where the victims had deposited the money, the accused kept demanding more money on different pretexts, due to which this fraud continued for a long time and the victims suffered financial losses again and again.
The arrested accused Burhan alias Aamir and Rizwan also revealed that a large number of youth in remote areas of Nuh (Mewat) area are involved in such cyber crime activities. These people target businessmen by posing as Indian Army and Air Force officers. During investigation, it was revealed that in this entire network, SIM cards and bank accounts purchased in the name of different persons are used to hide the identity and escape from the police. Through these means, an attempt was made to avoid tracking by diverting the defrauded amount to several levels.
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