HYDERABAD: The kingpin of the Bihari gang, Sandeep Kumar, 22, took up cyber fraud three years ago.
With the crime money, he performed his sister’s wedding, purchased an SUV worth Rs 8 lakh and was taking care of his mother, who has a heart ailment.
Earlier, he had also travelled to Jammu and Kashmir for Vaishno Devi Darshan with three friends. Sandeep later roped in his brother-in-law Manikchand Paswan, a construction worker, into the scam.
Sandeep was operating from his relative’s house in a neighbouring village to evade police. A farmer’s son, he was taught the art of cyber swindling by Mithilesh Paswan.
Sandeep’s team would call at least 50 people across the country and duped at least 10. Sandeep would purchase active pre-paid SIM cards at Rs 1,000 for each card.
He would change SIMs every month. He paid Rs 5 for the data of each customer. This would include complete addresses, phone numbers, products purchased, delivery data and mode of payment.
Meanwhile, the victim, a home-maker from Kompally fell into Sandeep’s trap after she purchased a potato cutter for Rs 227.
She was initially asked to pay Rs 6,500 for the Tata Nexon car she had ‘won’.
She finally ended up paying Rs 2.30 lakh. The home-maker borrowed the money from a neighbour without her husband’s knowledge.