Gadag Cyber Police Crack Down on Student Banking Fraud Ring
In a significant crackdown on cybercrime targeting vulnerable students, the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS) in Gadag has arrested five individuals for allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme. The accused are charged with cheating students by opening bank accounts in their names under false pretenses and subsequently misusing these accounts to withdraw funds illegally.
Modus Operandi: False Promises and Deceptive Tactics
The fraudsters, identified as Vakdoth Vakeel Devendra Nayak and Raju Rekhenayak, both residents of Dasarahalli Tanda in Vijayanagara district, specifically targeted students residing at the Post Metric Professional Boys' Hostel on Kalasapur Road in Gadag. Posing as benefactors, they approached the students with enticing promises of scholarship money and other financial inducements. Gaining the trust of these young individuals, they convinced them to open bank accounts at the Bank of Maharashtra branches located in Gadag and Haveri districts.
To facilitate the account openings, the accused even provided an initial deposit of Rs 2,000 for each account, further solidifying their deceptive facade. Once the accounts were successfully established, the fraudsters deceitfully collected all associated banking materials from the unsuspecting students. This included the bank passbooks, ATM cards, internet banking login credentials, and the SIM cards linked to these accounts, effectively gaining complete control over the financial instruments.
Investigation and Arrests
Based on gathered intelligence regarding this fraudulent activity, a formal case was registered on behalf of the government on March 11, initiating a thorough investigation. "We received specific information on March 11 indicating that the accused, Vakdoth Vakeel and Raju, were traveling to Goa," stated a press release from the DSP of the Cyber Crime Police Station. "Their purpose was to hand over the collected bank passbooks, ATM cards, linked SIM cards, and internet banking details to another associate."
Acting swiftly on this tip-off, a specialized team led by the DSP, along with personnel from the Gadag cybercrime unit, tracked the suspects' movements. The team successfully apprehended the five individuals and brought them to the Gadag CCPS for detailed interrogation. During the inquiry, it was confirmed that the accused had systematically lured innocent account holders with false promises, solely to misuse the newly opened bank accounts for various cyberfraud activities.
Expanding Network and Seized Evidence
The interrogation revealed a more extensive network. The accused disclosed that their trip to Goa was to discuss commission payments for eight fraudulently opened bank accounts with another individual named Kumar, a resident of Attikatti tanda. Kumar remains at large and is currently being sought by the police.
Further investigations, based on information provided by the arrested individuals, led to the custody of three additional suspects:
- Zeeshan Ansari alias Zeesu, a 22-year-old hotel worker from Jharkhand.
- Akash Suryamohan, a 32-year-old DJ artist from Chhattisgarh.
- Sahil Manohar Tekchandani, a 22-year-old student from Chhattisgarh.
In connection with the case, the police have seized significant evidence, including 11 mobile phones and 8 complete bank account kits. It is also learned that the accused had opened several more such fraudulent accounts beyond the initial eight. The search is actively ongoing for three more absconding accused persons involved in this racket.
Legal Proceedings and Ongoing Probe
The arrested accused have been produced before the court. Further legal action is pending, which includes seeking police custody for a more detailed interrogation to unravel the full extent of the fraud and to trace all additional suspects and accomplices. A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), with the investigation continuing to uncover all facets of this student-targeted cybercrime operation.
