Haridwar: Shyamour Kotwali police in Uttarakhand have dismantled a major cyber fraud network, arresting five individuals. Three of the arrested are from Nalanda and Nawada districts in Bihar, while two are from Haridwar. Police seized 35 ATM cards, 14 bank passbooks, 17 SIM cards, 18 mobile phones, two laptops, and ₹37,500 in cash from the suspects. Preliminary investigations have uncovered suspicious digital transactions totaling over ₹2.75 crore.

SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar stated in a press conference that on the night of August 25, during a suspicious vehicle check in the Shyamour police area, an informant tipped off police about a white Swift car involved in cyber fraud in the Sajjanpur Peeli area. Police set up a checkpoint at Rasaiabad Single Line Point and intercepted the car arriving from Chidiyapur. Five individuals were inside, and a search revealed a large number of ATM cards, passbooks, SIM cards, mobiles, and laptops used in the fraudulent activities.

The seized passbooks included accounts from various banks such as Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, SBI, UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Bank, and Nainital Bank, linked to areas like Haridwar, Kankhal, Rishikesh, and Dehradun. Initial mobile phone analysis showed evidence of WhatsApp chats sharing bank account numbers, account holders' names, QR codes, and transaction details. The gallery also contained photos of bank passbooks and related documents.

Interrogation revealed that the accused obtained bank accounts, passbooks, ATM cards, and SIMs from people, retaining the ATM PINs and UPI IDs. Fraudulent money was first deposited into these accounts, then transferred to other accounts via UPI, and finally withdrawn as cash from ATMs. The proceeds were then distributed based on commission. Police discovered that the accused would trick unsuspecting individuals into opening 'mule' accounts, gaining UPI access and SIM cards. Account access details were sent to Nalanda, Bihar, with account holders receiving ₹8,000 per account. All cyber fraud money was routed through these accounts and withdrawn via ATMs and other means. The arrested individuals received only ten percent of the cyber fraud amount.

SSP Bhullar confirmed that a large cyber fraud gang from Nalanda, Bihar, has been apprehended, and further arrests are expected. Information on account holders is being gathered, and a team is being sent to Bihar for further investigation. The arrested individuals are Krishna Pandey (24, Nalanda, Bihar), Niranjan Kumar (24, Nawada, Bihar), Sunny (21, Haridwar), Chandramani Kumar (24, Nawada, Bihar), and Chandan Pandey (20, Haridwar).