Gonda: In a major crackdown on cyber crime, the Cyber Cell of Gonda Police arrested nine members of an inter-state gang allegedly involved in operating mule bank accounts used for cyber frauds worth crores of rupees. The police also froze nearly Rs 14.87 crore linked to suspicious bank accounts during the operation.
The action was carried out under the direction of Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal and under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police and Cyber Crime Nodal Officer Ajit Kumar Rajak and Circle Officer Anand Kumar Rai.
The Cyber Cell team, led by Inspector Sanjay Kumar Gupta, arrested the accused after conducting extensive technical surveillance and analysis of suspicious financial transactions and bank accounts linked to cyber fraud complaints from multiple states.
The arrested accused were identified as Aman Singh, Kuldeep Verma, Rohit Singh, Suraj Kumar Singh, Mohit Singh, Ranjeet Kumar, Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Sameer, and Alok Gupta.
During the operation, police recovered 347 bank passbooks, 177 ATM kits, 22 Aadhaar cards, 10 mobile phones, nine PAN cards, two stamps, one voter ID card, two cheque books, three SIM cards, three motorcycles, and cash amounting to Rs 20,290.
According to police officials, the gang allegedly targeted innocent people by luring them with promises of government schemes, bank account assistance, and other financial benefits. The accused reportedly took control of bank accounts, ATM cards, passbooks, cheque books, and mobile numbers of victims. Investigators also found that fake bank accounts were opened using forged or misused Aadhaar and PAN card details.
Police said the bank accounts were used for transactions related to online gaming, online trading, and other cyber financial frauds. The fraud money was allegedly withdrawn through various channels and distributed among gang members, who reportedly received commissions ranging from 40 to 60 percent.
During interrogation, the accused admitted that they collected bank accounts and related documents from different districts and supplied them to associates engaged in cyber fraud operations. Investigation of seized mobile phones revealed details of multiple bank accounts, net banking credentials, passwords, and chats confirming their active involvement in cyber crimes.
Police investigation revealed that 46 bank accounts were linked to the gang, of which 17 accounts had 212 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Complaints were traced to several states, including Delhi, Odisha, Haryana, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.
Based on the evidence collected, a case has been registered at the Cyber Police Station in Gonda under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
The police team involved in the successful operation was awarded a cash reward of Rs 25,000 by SP Vineet Jaiswal for commendable work.
Police have advised citizens to remain alert against cyber fraud and immediately report incidents through the cyber helpline number 1930, the official cyber crime portal, or the nearest police cyber help desk.
“Awareness is the best protection against cyber crime,” officials said.
