The Delhi Police has arrested four alleged members of an organised sextortion cyber-fraud syndicate operating in the Mewat region, exposing a network that allegedly used obscene video calls, impersonation of police officials and arrest threats to extort money from victims.
The accused allegedly threatened to arrest him in a fake criminal case and claimed that he would have to pay money to remove the video from social media platforms and get his name removed from the purported FIR. He later realised that he had been cheated and approached the cyber police, following which a case was registered. Another member of the syndicate, identified as Yasir, allegedly impersonated police officials and YouTube representatives, threatening victims with arrest, legal action and social humiliation unless they paid money. Investigators identified Imran Khan as a key member of the alleged syndicate. He was purportedly involved in arranging bank accounts, SIM cards and mobile phones used in the fraud, as well as withdrawing money on behalf of other members.
The accused have been identified as Imran Khan, 28, a resident of Jurhera in Rajasthan’s Deeg district, Samad Khan and Tasleem Raja, both residents of Ludhiana in Punjab, and Ankit Sain from Alwar in Rajasthan. Under pressure, the victim transferred Rs 14,63,999 through multiple transactions from his own and his nephew’s bank accounts. READ MORE| Ex-Judge, 90, Duped Of Rs 2.5 Crore In ‘Digital Arrest’ Cyber Scam In Jaipur
Police said the syndicate used an application called “Friends Search” to identify potential victims by entering mobile numbers associated with cities or areas and searching for adjoining numbers. The extorted amount was routed through multiple bank accounts allegedly arranged by members of the network before being withdrawn and handed over to other associates, police said.
Police said the investigation revealed that the money was channelled through multiple suspected mule accounts to facilitate withdrawals and reduce the risk of the accounts being frozen. Tasleem allegedly disclosed that he and Samad had come into contact with Imran through the online game PUBG. Imran subsequently travelled to Ludhiana to facilitate the opening of Tasleem’s bank account, while Samad allegedly arranged the linked SIM card. Police have so far recovered three mobile phones and six SIM cards.
Imran allegedly arranged the Axis Bank account of Ankit Sain for Rs 3,500 and retained the ATM card, cheque book and passbook, according to police. An amount of Rs 1.80 lakh from the cheated money was traced to the account. Investigators also traced Rs 2.22 lakh and Rs 2.20 lakh to two accounts held by Mohd. Shariq Khan, a Ludhiana resident, and Rs 1 lakh to an account held by Tasleem Raja. Another Rs 50,000 was traced to an India Post Payments Bank account. The investigation involved the analysis of call detail records, IMEI details, IP logs and financial transactions, alongside surveillance of approximately 100 suspected mobile numbers and their associated IMEIs. So far, 15 cyber-fraud complaints from different states have been linked to the suspected beneficiary bank accounts. The cumulative debit and credit transactions in the identified accounts exceed Rs 1 crore, indicating their suspected use in multiple cyber-fraud cases.
Police said technical evidence indicated that Imran was present in Alwar and Ludhiana during the opening of suspected mule accounts and the withdrawal of funds. Police said the locations of the mobile numbers used to make sextortion calls to the complainant were traced to Village Kaltariya and surrounding areas in Rajasthan’s Deeg district, establishing a geographical link to the Mewat region. They said further investigation is underway to identify additional victims, trace the complete money trail, establish the individual roles of the accused and apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate.
