Delhi Police busts international cyber fraud syndicate operating from Dubai, Philippines; 5 arrested

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) With the arrest of five men, the Delhi Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang of international cyber cheats involved in duping the people on pretext of high returns.

According to officials, the crime originated from Dubai and the Philippines.

The officials said that they have also seized bank accounts with over Rs 1.25 crore.

The accused were identified as Vivek Kumar Singh (33), Manish Kumar (23), Suhel Akaram a.k.a Syed Ahamad (32), Gaurav Sharma (23) and Balram (32).

On June 6, Ashish Agarwal filed a complaint on the National Cyber-Crime Portal, stating that in the month of May, he received a message on his WhatsApp.

The sender allured him to invest in the Telegram app with the promise of high returns.

Initially, they asked him to invest a small amount of Rs 1,000 with a promise to return Rs 1,100. "He invested Rs 1,000 in a Telegram group and subsequently received Rs 1,100. The accused then persuaded him to invest Rs 10,000 with the promise of a return of Rs 12,000," said the additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Sachin Sharma.

Gradually, they convinced him to invest substantial amounts in lakhs. "However, they later reneged on returning the promised amounts and, under the pretext of returning the principal, convinced him to invest even more. As a result, the complainant fell victim to a cyber scam, losing approximately Rs 30 lakhs," said Sharma.

During investigation, the police obtained bank account details and call detail records (CDR) of mobile numbers linked to he bank accounts of the accused/suspected individuals. "The inquiry revealed that the defrauded money was transferred to 25 bank accounts in various banks and cities. Funds from these accounts were further transferred to various other bank accounts. A current bank account was opened at Yes Bank in the name of a fake firm, "Aairsky," at the Nangalraya address in Delhi," said the additional DCP.

Upon verification, it was discovered that the said premises had been rented by an individual named Suhel Akram, with another individual, Gaurav Sharma, also associated with it. "The investigation further revealed that 11 fake companies were registered at this address, with different individuals falsely listed as directors of these companies," said the official.

On September 18, based on specific information, the police arrested Suhel Akram and his associate, Gaurav Sharma, in Malviya Nagar.

"Various counterfeit stamps with different names, bank account details, and debit cards were recovered from their possession. They confessed to their involvement in the scam, leading to their arrests in accordance with due legal procedures," said the official.

On sustained interrogation, the accused revealed that they would rent premises for the registration of shell companies using forged documents.

"They would then open current bank accounts in different banks, primarily Yes Bank and RBL Bank, using the names of these shell companies. Suhel Akram's friend, Balram, was responsible for finding individuals to act as nominal directors of these shell companies. At the direction of Suhel, Balram was also arrested," said the official.

Suhel further disclosed that he provided the details of these fraudulent current bank accounts to Vivek Kumar Singh, residing in Sector 28, DLF Phase-1, Gurugram, Haryana.

"Following this information, the police arrested Vivek Kumar Singh and his associate, Manish Kumar. Vivek was the individual in contact with counterparts in Dubai and the Philippines, originating the criminal activities," said the official.

Vivek revealed that he connected with foreign nationals involved in online betting, gaming, and investment through Telegram and LinkedIn. “The daily transactions in these bank accounts amounted to more than a crore of rupees," said the official.

Suhel had altered his identity as Syed Ahmad, son of Syed Abdul Haque, by creating forged documents, including an Aadhar Card and PAN card.

He used these fabricated identities to open various companies, aiming to legitimise ill-gotten money.

"Further investigation is under progress and efforts are on to nab the other persons involved in a chain of such cyber cheaters," the official added.