Bengaluru police arrest 10 culprits, seize 72 mobiles, 133 sim cards in Rs 6 crore Cyber fraud case
By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published Sep 28, 2024, 1:39 PM ISTBengaluru police arrested 10 individuals in a nationwide Rs 6 crore cyber fraud involving fake online jobs. The scam, linked to Chinese masterminds, spanned 21 states, with 122 cases registered. The accused used bank passbooks and SIM cards bought on commission for the fraud.
Bengaluru’s North Division Cyber Crime Station police have arrested 10 individuals involved in a nationwide scam, cheating people out of Rs 6 crore, including victims in Bengaluru. The accused duped individuals by promising fake online jobs.
The arrested include Syed Yahya (32), Umar Farooq (34), Mohammad Maheen (32), Mohammad (35), Watheem (30), Syed Zaid (24), Sahil Abdul Anan (30), and Om Prakash (30), all residents of Bengaluru. Police recovered Rs 1.74 lakh in cash, 72 mobile phones, 182 debit cards, 2 laptops, 133 SIM cards, and 127 bank passbooks used in the crime.
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Cryptocurrency trap
The fraud came to light when a T. Dasarahalli resident, Ramesh (name changed), was lured into a cryptocurrency trading scam. Ramesh received a WhatsApp message in June offering an online job opportunity. He was directed to join a Telegram group, where he was given tasks such as reviewing luxury hotels and was paid small amounts of money to build his trust.
Over time, the scammer convinced Ramesh to invest in cryptocurrency, promising higher returns. Trusting the scammer, Ramesh transferred Rs 25.37 lakh to various bank accounts between June 1 and June 20. However, the promised returns never materialized, and Ramesh was left defrauded. Based on his complaint, the police initiated an investigation leading to the arrest of the culprits.
Police tracked down the fraudsters by tracing the bank accounts where Ramesh’s money was transferred. Seven of the accused were apprehended near a Coffee Day outlet in RT Nagar, Bengaluru. During the arrest, police seized 23 mobile phones, Rs 1.24 lakh in cash, 99 debit cards, 50 SIM cards, and 41 passbooks.
Under interrogation, the accused revealed that three of them—Syed Yahya, Umar Farooq, and Mohammad Maheen—had travelled to China to meet the masterminds behind the cyber fraud. Based on this information, a lookout notice was issued for their arrest. On September 15, all three were apprehended at Kempegowda International Airport upon their return from China. The police recovered additional mobile phones, debit cards, passbooks, and ATM cards used in the scam from various locations in Bengaluru.
The investigation revealed that the masterminds behind the Rs 6 crore fraud were Chinese nationals. Following instructions from these kingpins, Syed Yahya and Umar Farooq formed their gang, targeting victims across multiple states under the guise of offering online jobs. Their base of operations was a rented office in Nelagadaranahalli under Peenya police station limits, where police recovered 47 bank passbooks, 48 SIM cards, 31 debit cards, and 9 mobile phones.
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Nationwide scam
The accused have been linked to cyber fraud cases across 21 states, with 122 cases registered against them on the National Cyber Crime Portal (NCRP). The scam affected people in Karnataka, Assam, Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
The investigation uncovered that the accused obtained bank passbooks, SIM cards, and debit cards from intermediaries, who provided the documents for a commission. Once the fraud was committed, the scammers would immediately withdraw the money and give a share to the account holders.
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