How safe is your data with banks, social media sites or banking applications? The UP Police have busted a gang of 12th-fail cyber thugs, experts in data breach, phishing and digital arrest, who used database with the banks and leaked data from mobile applications and social networking sites as a tool to rob people of their hard earned money. The police also found that the duo led a lavish life in Delhi with luxury cars and bouncers at their disposal.
The case came to light during interrogation where the duo admitted their alleged involvement in cyber fraud and revealed their modus operandi, stating how they used to target people using their personal information.
The Arrest
On Friday, UP Police arrested two cyber fraudsters, Sandeep Kumar Sen (23) and Mohd Sahil (19), residents of Attarsuiya and Khuldabad, respectively, from Prayagraj for allegedly cheating many people while posing as the officials of CBI, RBI, Income Tax, and other government agencies through a mobile application. On the complaint filed by one of the victims, a case under sections 319 (2), 318 (4), 308 (2), 336 (3), 111 (1) (2) of BNS and sections 66 and 67 of the IT Act was registered against the duo with the cyber police station.
The duo had contacted the victim through a mobile application and had allegedly duped him of Rs 68 lakh after they lured him to invest money for gains, the police said. Police have seized three mobiles, one cheque book, ten ATM cards, five fake SIM cards, and 14 bank accounts from their possession.
Deepak Bhukar DCP (City), Prayagraj, said the accused have duped the person of Rs 68 lakh. They first trapped the cyber fraud victim and lured him to make an investment of Rs 20 lakh in crypto currency through Defter/Laser Accounting App. The cyber fraudsters then called the victim posing as CBI, Income Tax and RBI officers and threatened to send summons and notices for making investments in crypto currency.
The victim was duped of cash worth Rs 68 lakh on different pretexts following which he approached the cyber police station and lodged an FIR. The cops at cyber cell traced the culprits and arrested them on Friday from Delhi.
Modus Operandi
During interrogation, the duo revealed several startling facts. Both the crooks admitted their involvement in duping over half a dozen people under the pretext of investments in cryptocurrency and digital arrests, amounting to Rs 1.5 crore, the police said. On questioning, the duo admitted that they have been purchasing bank customers’ details that include mobile numbers, bank account details and databases from the insurance agencies, WhatsApp and other banking sites to target people.
“The duo revealed that initially they used to target people, using their bank details which they used to procure illegally either through the banks or through the leaked database from the mobile apps and other social networking sites,” a cyber cop said. The cop said that the investigation revealed that insurance agents, sales agents, and others with similar job profiles had sold customer databases, often in PDF form, for a few thousand rupees.
“Using the database, the cyber thugs used to target people, specially the ones with hefty bank balances. They then used to collect additional information related to their target, using their social media accounts, transaction histories and other mobile applications and study these databases before targeting them,” a cyber cop aware of the development said. The duo then used to make random calls to potential victims to scam them under various pretexts, used to lure victims for investment in digital currency using false documents and later used to threaten people to implicate them in fake cases.
Charm For Branded Clothes, Luxury Cars Made Them Cyber Fraudsters
Sandeep and Sahil, two school dropouts, were possibly drawn into cybercrime due to their obsession with branded clothes, luxury cars, and expensive shoes, according to police. The duo’s lavish lifestyle left the cops astounded. Both Sandeep and Sahil owned a chain of bars and restaurants in Delhi, further adding to their opulent image. The police were particularly shocked by their extravagant living arrangements.
“Other than owning a chain of bars and restaurants in Delhi, the duo used to keep two bouncers whom they paid Rs 80,000 per month,” the cop revealed. Their wardrobe was filled with expensive t-shirts, including the one Sahil wore during the arrest, which cost around Rs 15,000. Several other t-shirts ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 were also found. The cop added, “A section in their wardrobe was found stacked with expensive shoes costing Rs 25,000 and above.”
The duo resided in a rented flat in Delhi, paying Rs 60,000 per month. The police also recovered luxury cars, expensive gadgets, phones, and watches from their possession.
Of late, UP has witnessed a spurt in cases of cyber fraud. As per the records with the Cyber Crime Cell, UP has witnessed more than 13,000 cases of cyber fraud in the financial year 2022 and 2023. However, officials say that the current year data is under compilation. UP’s state capital alone has witnessed around 20 cases of cyber fraud in the recent past. Of others, the case of Dr Ruchika Tandon, an associate professor in the Neurology department at Lucknow’s SGPGI, who was duped of Rs 2.81 crore by cybercriminals and “digitally arrested” was the latest of all.
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