BENGALURU: As many as 10 cyber fraudsters wanted in around 122 cases across India, were arrested by North CEN police. The accused had been cheating people through online task fraud or online job fraud. The kingpins are said to be operating from China. Of the 10 accused, three were arrested at Kempegowda International Airport through a Look Out Circular (LoC). The accused were operating from an office space at Nelagadaranahalli in Peenya.
A woman, after losing about Rs 25 lakh, filed a complaint with CEN police on July 3, 2024, which led to the arrests. CEN police recovered 72 mobile phones, 182 debit cards, 133 SIM cards of various telecom operators, 127 bank passbooks and Rs 1.74 lakh in cash, and also froze Rs 7.34 lakh in the accounts used by the accused to cheat the victims.
Cyber frauds operated under kingpins in China
The accused are identified as Syed Yahya, Umar Faruk, Mohammed Maheen, Mohammed Muzammil, Thejas, Chethan, Wasim, Syed Zaid, Sahi Abdul Anan and Om Prakash. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the accused are wanted in 122 cases.
The accused contacted the victims through social media, and lured them with easy payment for completing tasks given online. Victims who were interested were added to Telegram groups created by the accused. The accused would first win the trust of the victims by offering them Rs 150 to Rs 200 for reviews on luxury hotels. They were also given additional bonuses to trap them. After gaining their trust, they were ask the victims to invest in cryptocurrency trading for more profit. The woman, a resident of T Dasarahalli in Bagalagunte, filed a case after losing Rs 25 lakh.
Police found that the transactions happened through bank accounts in Bengaluru. Based on the details of these accounts, seven of the accused were first arrested near RT Nagar. They were operating at the behest of kingpins in China. The other three accused, who had gone to China, were arrested at the airport when they returned on September 15. Police have taken all the accused into custody.
Police also raided their office in Peenya and recovered some items. Of the accused, three were staying at a PG facility in Sampigehalli, which was also raided. The accused were remanded in judicial custody.
Cases against the gang have been registered in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and other states.
