Delhi Police Busts Cyber Fraud Syndicate, Arrests Four From Rajasthan

Delhi Police has busted an alleged cyber fraud and money laundering syndicate operating from Rajasthan and arrested four people for routing and concealing proceeds through multiple bank accounts, officials said on Friday.

The arrests were made in connection with a cyber fraud case in which a woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 2 lakh through unauthorised transactions from her bank account, they said.

According to the police, the case was registered on November 4, last year. The fraud came to light after her son, who lives in the United States, noticed suspicious transactions from her account and travelled to India to lodge a complaint.

During investigation, police found that the cheated amount was first transferred to a bank account and subsequently routed through several other accounts in an attempt to hide the money trail.

A team analysed bank transactions, IP logs and other technical evidence, which led to the identification of mobile numbers allegedly used in carrying out the fraud. Further probe revealed the involvement of an organised network operating from Rajasthan.

Based on the leads, teams conducted raids in a village in Rajasthan's Sikar district and apprehended four accused identified as Abhishek Sihag, Ankit Garhwal, Vikas Beniwal and Lokesh Kumar.

The police said the syndicate allegedly laundered cybercrime proceeds through online gambling platforms. The money was layered through multiple bank accounts before being used for settlement of gambling-related transactions.

The accused allegedly used virtual and international mobile numbers for encrypted communication channels to coordinate their activities and evade detection.

"It was also revealed that the gang recruited students and youth on the pretext of offering work from home opportunities and used their bank accounts to route illicit funds," a senior police officer said.

Analysis of chats, IP logs, bank records, seized electronic devices and other digital evidence helped establish the role of the accused and exposed the functioning of the network.

Further investigation is underway to identify other associates.