Kanpur (UP), Apr 13 (PTI) Police have unearthed an organised cyber fraud racket in Kanpur on Monday with suspected international links, arresting eight accused involved in online gaming-based scams, police said.
The operation, carried out by the police along with the cyber crime team, exposed a network that duped victims through banned gaming apps such as Lotus365, Reddy Book, Kartikey and Dubai EXH, Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI.
The accused allegedly lured users with promises of quick returns and routed the money through a network of fake bank accounts, the officer said, adding that they channelled fraudulent funds using multiple bank accounts and SIM cards.
The network appears to have been operated from Dubai, with domestic links in Noida, Mumbai and Lucknow, said an official pleading anonymity.
During searches, police discovered 26 mobile phones, two laptops, 54 ATM cards, 24 passbooks, a cheque book and 30 SIM cards linked to accounts across several states, including Telangana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Preliminary investigation has identified nearly Rs 50 lakh in suspicious transactions over the past three months, with action underway to freeze the amount, said an official.
Police have also traced 76 bank accounts allegedly used in the racket, with total transactions suspected to exceed Rs 1 crore.
The arrested accused have been identified as Satyam Tiwari, 22, Anmol Vishwakarma, 30, Nitin Gupta, 27, Abhishek Verma, 28, Hitesh Nigam, 32, Snehil Bajaj, 24, Sultan Ahmad, 24 and Naushad, 31, all residents of Kanpur.
A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Efforts are on to trace other members of the syndicate who remain at large, police said. PTI COR ABN ABN SHS SHS
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