Gonda: Gonda Police have arrested five alleged members of an interstate cyber fraud syndicate under the Uttar Pradesh Police’s statewide ‘Cy-Vazra’ campaign, recovering forged identity documents, mobile phones, SIM cards, official seals and vehicles while facilitating the freezing of Rs 3.20 crore linked to suspected cybercrime proceeds.
The operation was carried out by the Kotwali Dehat Police and the Cyber Cell under the directions of Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal, with supervision from Additional Superintendent of Police (East) Ajit Kumar Rajak and Circle Officer Yogendra Singh.
The accused have been identified as Deepak Goyal, Vijay Soni, Devnarayan Mishra, Gangotri Pandey and Shahban Alam alias Sonu. They were arrested near Khiroura Mohan Crossing on the Bahraich Road in connection with two criminal cases registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act.
Victims Lured with Fake Job Offers
According to police, the investigation began after Virendra Pratap, a resident of Sisai Tikaria village under Kotwali Dehat police station, filed a complaint alleging that the accused had promised him employment with a solar company at a monthly salary of Rs 15,000.
Police said the gang allegedly persuaded him to open what he believed was a salary account in a bank. Instead, they reportedly registered another mobile number with the account, retained control of the internet banking credentials and used the account to route crores of rupees through suspicious financial transactions. Investigators further alleged that the accused fraudulently obtained Udyam registration and a GST registration in the victim’s name without his knowledge.
Following the complaint, the Superintendent of Police constituted multiple teams, including the Cyber Cell, to investigate the case and identify those involved.
Organised Cyber Crime Network
During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted to operating as part of an organised cybercrime syndicate that targeted unemployed and financially vulnerable individuals by offering fake jobs in solar companies with attractive salaries.
Police said the gang would obtain Udyam and GST registrations in the names of victims before opening current accounts under the guise of salary accounts. The accused allegedly replaced the victims’ registered mobile numbers with numbers under their own control or fraudulently obtained SIM cards, allowing them unrestricted access to internet banking facilities.
Investigators allege that these accounts were then used as “mule accounts” to receive and transfer money generated through various cybercrimes across the country, including investment fraud, digital arrest scams, sextortion and other online financial offences. In return, the syndicate allegedly earned commissions from the illegal transactions.
Rs 21 Crore Transactions Under Scanner
Police said documents recovered during the operation indicate the existence of more than 20 mule accounts through which transactions exceeding Rs 21 crore were allegedly routed.
Investigators also found that 43 complaints linked to these accounts have been registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) from several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka and Telangana.
Based on these complaints, authorities have so far succeeded in freezing approximately Rs 3.20 crore across multiple bank accounts.
Seizures
During the operation, police recovered:
- Six mobile phones
- Fifteen Aadhaar cards
- Ten SIM cards
- Eight official seals
- Two PAN cards
- One debit card
- Two voter identity cards
- One memory card
- One motorcycle
- One scooter
Further Investigation Underway
The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, and further legal proceedings are underway.
The operation was led by Cyber Cell In-charge Inspector Sanjay Kumar Gupta and Kotwali Dehat Station House Officer Santosh Kumar Singh, assisted by Cyber Cell personnel Hariom Tandon, Amit Kumar Gaur, Manish Kushwaha, Alok Savita, Rajendra Kumar and Shivam Mishra.
Police said further investigation is in progress to identify additional beneficiaries, trace the full financial trail and determine the wider network connected to the alleged cyber fraud syndicate.
