Lucknow — The Cyber Crime Police in Lucknow have busted a gang that impersonated police, NIA, and ATS officers to commit a large-scale “digital arrest” fraud. Four members of the gang have been arrested. The accused allegedly defrauded a retired government officer from the Finance Department of ₹54.60 lakh by threatening him with a fake digital arrest. Police recovered cash, mobile phones, ATM cards, PAN and Aadhaar cards, press IDs, cheques, and several forged documents from their possession.
How the Fraud Was Carried Out
According to DCP Crime and Traffic Kamlesh Dixit, the victim, Rajendra Prakash Verma, a retired government pensioner, was first contacted via WhatsApp video call on December 13 by the cybercriminals. They posed as police inspectors and NIA/ATS officials and falsely accused him of illegal transactions worth ₹7 crore through fake bank accounts and alleged terrorist funding. The victim was then kept under “digital surveillance” for seven days, with repeated threats of arrest and legal action.
In fear, Verma transferred a total of ₹54.60 lakh from his SBI account to two separate bank accounts — IndusInd Bank and Bank of Baroda — following the instructions of the fraudsters. Realizing the deception, he reported the matter to the Cyber Crime Police.
Operation Controlled from Abroad
During interrogation, the arrested accused admitted operating as part of an organized gang directed by a ringleader based in Thailand. Some members posed as fake officers in video calls, while others collected bank account details, ATM cards, and checkbooks from unsuspecting individuals by offering loans or other inducements. The stolen money was routed through multiple accounts to avoid tracing, with the gang taking a commission from each transaction.
Roles of the Arrested Members
Inspector Deepak Pandey’s team arrested the following suspects:
- Mohammad Sufiyan (Kundari Rakabganj)
- Mohammad Azam (Barawan Kalan, Dubagga)
- Arif Iqbal (Adilnagar, Basundhara Bihar Colony)
- Uzair Khan (KaiserGanj, Bahraich)
Recovered items include ₹34,334 in cash, five mobile phones, seven ATM cards, a PAN card, an Aadhaar card, press IDs of three newspapers, and two checks worth ₹51 lakh and ₹90 lakh signed by Arif Iqbal.
Each member used different professions as a cover: Arif as a loan agent collecting bank details, Sufiyan in piping work, Azam in property dealings to route funds, and Uzair as a NEET coaching instructor gathering account details to send to the ringleader. Police have identified nearly two dozen more people linked to the gang.
Police Advisory
Authorities warned the public that “digital arrest” is not a legal provision in India. People are urged not to succumb to threats from unknown callers claiming to be police or investigation agencies. Anyone facing cyber fraud is advised to immediately report to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or register a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
