Delhi police arrest four in phishing scam

Delhi police on Saturday apprehended four members of an online fraud gang involved in opening bank accounts using forged identities.

These accounts were then sold to other criminals to facilitate fraudulent transactions. The mastermind behind the operation, Darvesh Kumar, a 41-year-old resident of Sultanpuri, sold these fake accounts to individuals engaged in phishing activities.

The other three individuals arrested were identified as Priyanka Sarkar, 24, from Rohini; Deepak, 29, from Mangolpuri; and Ajit Singh, 35, from Faridabad, Haryana. Additionally, a juvenile was also taken into custody regarding this matter.

The investigation began after a woman reported losing Rs 61,800 from her bank account in a phishing scam back in January. She had come across a mobile number while searching for doctors online. When she contacted the number, she was prompted to pay Rs 5 to secure an appointment with a doctor. However, after clicking on the provided link and making the payment, she received a message stating that Rs 61,800 had been deducted from her account.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the money had been withdrawn in Faridabad. The account where the amount was credited belonged to a person named Sunder Kumar from Budh Vihar, Phase – I. However, further verification revealed that the account was fraudulent, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Sain.

On June 28, the police apprehended a juvenile who provided information leading to the arrest of the other four individuals involved.

According to the police, Darvesh Kumar was responsible for opening bank accounts using various bought identities in multiple banks. He sold one set of account details to Deepak for Rs 18,000 to 20,000 and another set to Ajit Singh for Rs 25,000. Singh maintained contacts with several other fraudsters who required bank accounts to avoid leaving a money trail.

The police stated that Darvesh charged Rs 30,000 for each bank account kit and also received a 10% commission for facilitating transactions through these fake accounts on behalf of other criminals. After deducting his commission, he would deposit the money into the bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

During questioning, the accused revealed their involvement in such crimes for approximately three years and pointed to Darvesh as the mastermind. Darvesh would convince individuals in need to sell their identity papers for Rs 10,000 to 15,000. After obtaining these documents, he would alter the address and then apply for new Aadhaar and PAN cards with the assistance of the juvenile and Priyanka. They managed to obtain new Aadhaar cards every three to four days.

Additionally, it was revealed that Priyanka would accompany the unsuspecting individuals to banks to open fake accounts in various banks.

(With PTI inputs)