Delhi Police arrest man in Rs 30.81 lakh cyber fraud involving fake UPI payments

A 22-year-old man, who allegedly used fake UPI payment screenshots to cheat shopkeepers and then stole their mobile phones to carry out unauthorised financial transactions, has been arrested by the Delhi Police, an official said on Wednesday.

Nikhil Yadav was arrested on August 20 following an investigation into a Rs 1 lakh cyber fraud reported by a clothes shop owner in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, the officer said.

According to police, Yadav targeted small shops during routine, low-value purchases and showed the shopkeepers a fake or digitally manipulated payment screenshot to make them believe that the transaction had gone through.

“When the shopkeeper checked his bank account and found that no money had been credited, Yadav offered to help resolve the payment issue and attempted to gain access to the victim’s mobile phone. If the phone was not handed over, he allegedly tried to observe or obtain the victim’s mobile or UPI credentials before stealing or snatching the device,” the police officer said.

The accused would then allegedly use the phone and acquired credentials to make unauthorised transactions through banking or UPI applications. The money was transferred to mule bank accounts and, in some cases, withdrawn through ATMs to make tracing the funds difficult.

The cumulative cheated amount in the cases detected so far is more than Rs 30.81 lakh, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.

The case that led to the probe was registered on a complaint dated March 29 by Vishnu Kumar Goyal, proprietor of a clothes shop in Sadar Bazar.

According to the police, Yadav purchased clothes from Goyal and displayed a fake payment screenshot. After the shopkeeper found that the payment had not been received, the accused allegedly gained access to his mobile phone and transferred Rs 1 lakh from his bank account.

“An e-FIR was registered at the Cyber North police station and further investigation was taken up. During the investigation, technical analysis of banking and UPI transactions and telecom records led police to a mule bank account held by Shahina (27), a resident of Malka Ganj. She was apprehended and disclosed that she had transferred the money to Tarun (25), of Burari,” the officer said.

Tarun was subsequently apprehended and told police that the money was handed over in cash to Yadav.

Police said cross-verification of Yadav’s disclosures with technical and documentary evidence linked him to seven other cases in Delhi and Mumbai, including cases registered at Cyber North West, Model Town, Sarai Rohilla, Sabzi Mandi and Roop Nagar, as well as Shivdi and Tardeo police stations in Mumbai.

“Yadav has studied up to class 12 and has previously been involved in eight cases of theft and cheating registered in Delhi and Mumbai. Further investigation into the matter is underway,” the officer said.