Delhi tea seller duped of Rs 90,000 in fake KYC scam; 3 operatives held

Delhi Police has busted an interstate cyber fraud network involved in routing cheated money by supplying bank account kits, SIM cards and ATM credentials, arresting three key operatives from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.

The action came after a tea seller from South Patel Nagar was allegedly duped of Rs 90,000 by a man posing as an employee of a digital payment application on the pretext of updating KYC on his mobile phone, police said.

According to the police, the fraudster visited the complainant’s tea shop. Pretending to assist him with the digital payment app’s settings and KYC formalities, he gained access to his mobile device and siphoned off Rs 90,000 from his bank account.

A case was registered on May 15 and an investigation was launched.

During the investigation, a bank account emerged, which was allegedly used in routing proceeds of cyber fraud, the police said, adding that they identified one Vishesh Singh, a resident of Haryana’s Panchkula, as a beneficiary account holder allegedly involved in providing bank account kits and SIM cards used in cyber fraud activities.

Further investigation revealed the existence of an organised interstate network engaged in procuring and circulating bank accounts, ATM cards and registered SIM cards for cyber fraud syndicates operating across states, police said.

Acting on technical inputs and local intelligence, police conducted raids in Panchkula, Zirakpur in Punjab’s Mohali district and adjoining areas before arresting three accused on May 19 and recovered four mobile phones allegedly used in communication and circulation of bank account details linked to cyber fraud activities.

The officials said several mobile numbers, beneficiary bank accounts and social media handles linked to the accused are suspected to be connected with other cyber fraud complaints reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

The police arrested Vishesh Singh, 22 and Sachin Maurya, 22, both residents of Panchkul, and Ashish Sharma, 27, a resident of Himachal Pradesh’s Una district.

According to the police, Singh allegedly provided beneficiary bank accounts and SIM cards for cyber fraud activities, with Maurya acting as a facilitator in collecting and supplying banking kits to other operatives. Sharma allegedly handled and supplied multiple bank account kits to associates operating from different locations.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they received commissions for arranging and supplying bank accounts, ATM cards, SIM cards and banking credentials, which were later used to route and withdraw cheated money in cyber fraud cases, police said.

Investigators found that the accused were allegedly acting as intermediaries between account providers and organised cyber fraud syndicates using mule bank accounts across different states.

Technical examination of seized mobile phones allegedly revealed chats related to the supply of bank accounts, commission distribution, contact details of suspected cyber fraud associates and social media communications linked to the circulation of banking kits and SIM cards.

The accused extensively used social media platforms for coordination and transfer of banking kits in their network, the police said.

Further investigation is underway to identify additional accused persons, trace the cheated money and ascertain links with other interstate cyber fraud modules, police added.

Read More: Delhi: ‘Kidnapping’ case of 10-month-old girl turns out to be murder; father prime suspect