NEW DELHI: Five men were arrested from Uttarakhand for their alleged involvement in an online investment and task-based fraud racket, police said. The syndicate supplied mule bank accounts to cyber criminals operating across the country.
A complaint was received from a resident of New Ashok Nagar, who said he was added to a WhatsApp group on April 6. Fraudsters, posing as digital marketing professionals, lured him into product-based online tasks and investment schemes by promising high returns.
Trusting their assurances, the complainant transferred money through multiple transactions and was cheated of over `1 lakh. During the investigation, police analysed bank transactions, KYC records and digital footprints. It was found that part of the defrauded amount was routed to accounts operated by accused persons in Udham Singh Nagar, an officer said.
A police team arrested five accused—Raj Bachhar (18), Sameer Bachhar (21), Rohit Ray (18), Rohit Mistri (18) and Harish Sarkar (18). Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Rajeev Kumar said they facilitated cyber fraud by arranging and operating bank accounts.