In a significant crackdown, the Ghaziabad Police have apprehended five members of an interstate gang accused of orchestrating a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme by selling counterfeit insurance policies. The arrests were made from the Nandgram area on Saturday, bringing to light a scam that spanned multiple Indian states.
The Masterminds and Their Modus Operandi
According to Piyush Kumar Singh, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber), the arrested individuals have been identified as Rishabh Kumar Srivastava (39) from Gorakhpur, Vinay Gupta (55) from Agra, Ashish Pawar (31) from Bulandshahr, Himanshu Tyagi (28) from Vijaynagar in Ghaziabad, and Yashpal Verma (32) from Gorakhpur. The investigation revealed that the gang operated by posing as representatives of legitimate insurance companies.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed that the scam was built upon customer data procured from a previous life insurance call centre run by three absconding accomplices: Sarvan Tiwari, Vicky Dhawan, and Himanshu Chaudhary. "Using the same data, we call customers and commit cyber fraud in the name of life insurance policies," Singh quoted the accused as saying.
How the Elaborate Scam Worked
The gang's method was systematic. They would contact potential victims using the stolen data, offering them false assurances of enhanced policy benefits or new schemes. To build trust, they impersonated genuine insurance agents. Once convinced, victims were persuaded to transfer money. The gang then sent fabricated payment receipts to complete the illusion.
Police recovered crucial evidence from the accused, including 12 mobile phones, 12 ATM cards, 8 SIM cards, one cheque book, and a Hyundai Venue car allegedly used to facilitate the crimes. The financial trail was managed by Srivastava, Pawar, Gupta, and Tyagi, who provided bank accounts, withdrew the illicit funds, and distributed the proceeds among themselves and other gang members like Veer and Bunty alias DD.
Wide-Ranging Fraud and Past Crimes
Investigations have so far unearthed four major fraud cases across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Based on call logs and financial records, police have identified transactions involving Rs 16,680 and Rs 78,000 from two Maharashtra residents, and a staggering Rs 95 lakh from a victim in Chhattisgarh. More cases are under active investigation as the police delve deeper into the gang's activities.
Notably, this is not the first brush with the law for some of the accused. Rishabh Srivastava and Vinay Gupta had previously been jailed in 2022 in connection with separate cybercrime cases registered in Surat, Gujarat. The police are now intensifying efforts to track down and arrest the remaining absconding members of the network.
The arrested quintet has been formally charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and forgery, along with applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act. This case highlights the escalating threat of data-driven cyber fraud and the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat such interstate criminal networks.
