Delhi Police arrests three for duping retired Army officer in cyber fraud

The Delhi Police has arrested three men for allegedly duping a 61-year-old retired Army officer of over Rs 90,000 by posing as representatives of a gas company, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused allegedly tricked the victim into installing a malicious APK file on his mobile phone to gain access to his banking details.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bickey Mandal alias Vicky (22), Sumit Kumar Singh (26) and Rajeev Kumar Mandal (22).

According to investigators, the accused contacted victims while pretending to be utility service providers. They persuaded targets to install fraudulent applications that allowed unauthorised access to banking credentials, facilitating illegal transactions.

The Crime Branch registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “Technical analysis pointed to organised and coordinated cyber fraud activity being carried out through multiple mobile devices and SIM cards,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.

Police recovered nine mobile phones from the accused. Digital extraction from seven devices revealed details of victims and several fraudulent APK files impersonating reputed organisations.

Investigators have linked the accused to 35 cyber fraud complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), indicating their habitual involvement in organised crimes.

Police said Bickey Mandal, a resident of Asansol in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman, allegedly operated multiple mobile numbers to circulate the malicious APK files. He was previously involved in a 2024 cyber crime case in Asansol.

Sumit Kumar Singh and Rajeev Kumar Mandal, both residents of Jamtara in Jharkhand, were also found in possession of multiple mobile phones. Police said Singh has prior criminal cases registered against him in Jharkhand.

The accused were apprehended from Asansol. Further investigation is underway to trace the digital trail, identify more victims and recover the cheated money, they added.