DEHRADUN: Haridwar police have busted a suspected interstate cyber fraud network, arresting five men and uncovering digital transactions worth more than Rs 2.75 crore, officials said on Wednesday.
Police recovered 35 ATM cards, 14 bank passbooks, 17 SIM cards, 18 mobile phones, two laptops and Rs 37,500 in cash from the accused. Three suspects are from Bihar and two from Haridwar.
Officials clarified that Rs 2.75 crore represented suspicious transactions traced during the preliminary inquiry, not cash seized from the vehicle itself.
SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar said the arrests followed a tip-off during vehicle checking in the Shyampur police area on the night of August 25. Police were alerted to men allegedly linked to cyber fraud travelling in a white Swift car near Sajjanpur Peeli.
“We set up checking at the Rasiabad Single Line Point and intercepted the car coming from Chidiyapur. Five people were inside. A search of a bag yielded numerous ATM cards, passbooks, SIM cards, phones and laptops,” Bhullar said.
The passbooks were linked to accounts in Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, SBI, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Bank and Nainital Bank.
The accounts were opened or operated in Haridwar, Kankhal, Rishikesh, Dehradun and neighbouring areas, police said. Initial examination of the phones found WhatsApp chats allegedly containing account numbers, account-holder names, QR codes and transaction details.
Investigators also found photographs of passbooks and other banking documents in the devices’ galleries. During questioning, the accused allegedly told police that they procured bank accounts, passbooks, ATM cards and SIM cards from individuals, retaining the PINs and UPI access.
Fraud proceeds were routed into these “mule accounts”, transferred onward through UPI and withdrawn from ATMs before being divided on commission.
Police said some account holders were allegedly paid Rs 8,000 for each account. Access credentials and SIM cards were then sent to handlers in Nalanda, Bihar.
The arrested men purportedly received 10 per cent of the fraud proceeds, while other members managed transfers and withdrawals. Bhullar said more suspects were likely involved.
“We are identifying the account holders and sending a team to Bihar. Further action will be taken as new facts emerge,” he said.
According to sources, police are examining bank statements, KYC records, and transaction histories. A digital forensic analysis is expected to establish the total fraud amount and identify other members of the network.
Those arrested were identified as Krishna Pandey, 24, of Nalanda; Niranjan Kumar, 24, and Chandramani Kumar, 24, both of Nawada; and Sunny, 21, and Chandan Pandey, 20, both of Haridwar.
