NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted a gang posing as loan recovery agents and running a tech-enabled extortion racket in east Delhi, arresting four accused, officials said.
According to police, the group used a mobile application to identify vehicle owners with pending EMIs and targeted them on busy roads by impersonating bank recovery agents.
The case surfaced after a complaint by Keshav Kumar, who alleged that he was intercepted near ITO on Vikas Marg on March 26. He was stopped by occupants of a car, forcibly taken along, assaulted and threatened before being made to transfer `18,000 online.
Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at Shakarpur police station on March 27 and an investigation was launched. A dedicated team used technical surveillance and local intelligence to trace the suspects. A tip-off indicated the involvement of individuals from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. Analysis of mobile data and location tracking confirmed their presence at the crime scene and helped map their movements.
Subsequent raids at multiple locations led to the arrest of Prince (22), Aakash alias Akku (25), Shivam (23), and Teetu alias Tittu (22), police said. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime and revealed that they had been operating as fake recovery agents using an app to identify targets.
Police said the gang would intercept victims in a car without a number plate, intimidate them by posing as bank officials, and extort money through QR codes and other online payment methods before releasing them. Five mobile phones and the vehicle used in the crime have been recovered. Efforts are underway to identify more victims and trace another associate.