Delhi Police arrest 11 cyber criminals for digital arrests linked to Cambodia
Delhi Police arrest 11 cyber criminals for digital arrests linked to Cambodia New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) Eleven cyber criminals were arrested and a potential loss of Rs 7.25 crore through digital arrests, prevented by the Delhi Police, who busted an international syndicate linked to gangs in Cambodia and other South-East Asian countries, an official said on Tuesday The arrests by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police led to the working out of cybercrime cases spread across different states, including Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, and resulted in a freeze/hold on Rs1.96 crore in HDFC and SBI accounts related to fraud cases, the police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, IFSO Unit, Gaurav Tyagi said in one case probe began on the complaint of Pradeep Kumar Das, 69, retired Scientist “F”, Director, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, regarding a “digital arrest” fraud of Rs 1.25 crore, the police said. During the investigation, the police identified a hotel and a flat in Sector-7, Dwarka, along with the mobile number 8617839064, which was registered/linked with the HDFC Bank account of the MR Traders and used for facilitating cybercrime, said a statement. The main handler was identified as Anish Khan, a resident of Etah, UP, who was in contact with foreign-based handlers through Telegram and involved in operating/managing the bank account allegedly used for cybercrime-related transactions.
As per the investigation, he was allegedly working on a 5.5 per cent commission basis. The commission was allegedly received in USDT (Tether/cryptocurrency) and subsequently converted into Indian Rupees through different cryptocurrency exchanges/platforms, the police said. Other accused were identified as Mahfuzar Rahman and Izhar Alam, both from West Bengal; Altaf Hussain, a resident of J&K; and Intekhab, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, UP, the police said. The mastermind of another related case was identified as 31-year-old Anil Sagu alias Krishna, a resident of village Dabri, District Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
He was arrested in connection with a case registered by the Special Cell. The DCP said that Sagu collected commission in USDT (Tether/cryptocurrency) and distribute it among his associates. He was the main handler who remained in touch with foreign associates through Telegram, the police said. Other arrested accused were identified as Neeraj Kumar Mittal, an account holder from Meerut; Kanwar Pal, introducer for the bank account in Meerut; Saif Ali Khan, resident of Gajraula, UP; Ranbir, resident of Rampur, District Shimla; Prabhat Rai alias Ashutosh, resident of Mangolpuri, Delhi.
During the investigation, the police recovered the cheque book of the alleged bank account No. 50200099629024, maintained with HDFC Bank, of MR Traders. Six Mobile phones, which contain the WhatsApp chat, Telegram chat, and the crypto currency transaction history and other incriminating evidence relevant, with the case, were also seized. As many as seven Telagram channels have been identified through which the sale and purchase of mule bank accounts was being undertaken by the accused, said the police. An analysis of Telegram and WhatsApp chats revealed the sharing of bank credentials, linking the accused to 78 National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) complaints across different States, with further investigation ongoing. The total amount involved in these 78 NCRP complaints was Rs 73 crore, said the statement.
