Bihar: Two held in East Champaran for cyber fraud linked to Pakistan
Bihar: Two held in East Champaran for cyber fraud linked to Pakistan Patna, Nov 7 (IANS) Bihar Police have arrested two men in East Champaran district for allegedly operating a cyber fraud network linked to Pakistani nationals and facilitating suspicious financial transactions through Indian bank accounts and QR codes.
The arrests were made during simultaneous raids at two rented houses in the Belisarai area late Saturday. Police recovered two Android mobile phones and five ATM cards from the accused. Digital evidence, including Pakistani WhatsApp numbers, suspicious conversations and financial transaction records, was also found on their mobile phones.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Swarn Prabhat on Saturday said a special police team led by Sadar SDPO-1 Dilip Kumar conducted the raids around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday following a tip-off. According to preliminary investigations, the accused were allegedly in contact with Pakistani nationals and were operating under their instructions.
They reportedly received money into Indian bank accounts through QR codes and subsequently transferred the funds to other accounts. During the examination of their mobile phones, police discovered WhatsApp numbers linked to Pakistan and suspicious conversations indicating their alleged involvement in the financial network.
The accused have been identified as Pankaj Gupta, a resident of Semmuapur under Dumariyaghat police station, and Raju Kushwaha alias Raju Kumar Bhagat (22), a resident of Shyampur Barwa under Sangrampur police station. Both were staying in rented accommodation in Belisarai.
Police recovered five ATM cards, including three issued by Federal Bank, one by IDFC First Bank and one by Bank of India. The cards were registered in the names of Raju Kumar and Raju Kumar Bhagat. Investigators suspect that the bank accounts were being used to receive and withdraw money generated through cyber fraud before transferring it elsewhere.
The seized mobile phones and ATM cards have been sent for further examination. Police are also analysing the bank accounts, transaction records and digital communications to establish the scale of the suspected operation.
The investigation is focused on identifying the Pakistani contacts, tracing the financial transactions, determining the total amount routed through the accounts and establishing whether the network had connections across multiple states.
Police are also examining the possible involvement of other individuals in the racket. The raiding team included Sadar DSP-1 Dilip Kumar, Inspector Rajiv Ranjan, Sub-Inspectors K.V. Hanumanta, Santosh Kumar and Satish Kumar, along with Jamadar Bhim Yadav, female constable Putul Kumari and other police personnel. Further investigation is underway to establish the complete network and identify its alleged masterminds.
