CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police's State Cybercrime Division uncovered a MSP payment fraud, arresting four individuals for manipulating the Anaaj Kharid Portal to redirect crop payments to their own bank accounts.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Cybercrime Division V Neeraja said the arrested have been identified as Manish, Jasvir Singh, Angrej Singh and Balwinder Singh. The police teams have also recovered digital devices and routers used for the fraud.
Neeraja said that the accused used an innovative modus operandi to divert the payment of crops of the farmers to their accounts fraudulently by replacing the mobile numbers of the farmers with their mobile numbers and thereafter using the same to update the bank account information of the farmers. To avoid detection, the accused would restore the original details immediately after the payment was processed, she said, while adding that a state-wide operation is being conducted to nab the other accused persons involved in the scam.
As per the information, a complaint was received from the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Punjab in which it has come to light that some farmers have not received the payment for selling their crops during the 2024 paddy season. Further verification revealed that the payment of these farmers has been credited to various bank accounts belonging to different persons.
She said that during preliminary enquiry, IP records and other data was scrutinised and information regarding the bank accounts, revealed the details regarding the unauthorised access of the Anaaj Kharid Portal and the diversion of the crop payment in different accounts. During the investigation, it was also revealed that a mobile number and a mobile device were purchased from District SAS Nagar on a fake identity, which was used to obtain OTPs for altering the bank accounts of farmers on the Anaaj Kharid Portal.
The gang was running their operation from remote areas of Muktsar, she said, while adding that an internet connection was also installed for unauthorised access to the Portal and altering the bank records of the farmers.
Neeraja said that three teams from the Cybercrime Division used multiple OSINT techniques to establish the whereabouts of the accused, which led to the arrest of four persons from areas of District Moga and District Muktsar. Further questioning of the arrested accused is underway to identify the involvement of more persons.
She also did not rule out the involvement of any officials of the Mandi Board or Food Supply Department and commission agents, who might have shared sensitive information and technical glitches of the Anaaj Kharid portal with the masterminds of the scam. Raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused in the case, she added.
In this regard, a casehas been registered under sections 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 338 340(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 66C and 66D of IT Act at Police Station State Cyber Crime, Punjab.