In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Giridih police on Tuesday apprehended three inter-state cyber fraudsters from the Telkhari forest area under Gandey police station limits. The arrests were made on charges of accumulating illicit assets valued at over Rs 85 lakh through various online scams.
The Accused and Their Illicit Wealth
The arrested individuals have been identified as Khurshid Ansari from Dharleto village, along with Alamgir Ansari and Md Sharafat Ansari, both hailing from Deoghar district. Providing details, Superintendent of Police Vimal Kumar revealed the extent of their illegally acquired property.
"Sharafat Ansari has amassed property worth more than Rs 60 lakh through cyber fraud. He already has two criminal cases registered against him—one at Bilaspur police station in Chhattisgarh and another at Rudrapur police station in Uttarakhand. He has also served a jail term in one of these cases," stated the SP. The second accused, Alamgir Ansari, possesses property valued at over Rs 25 lakh, allegedly sourced from similar fraudulent activities.
Modus Operandi of the Cyber Criminals
During interrogation, the accused disclosed their sophisticated methods for defrauding innocent citizens across states. Their primary strategy involved posting fake mobile numbers on Google search results, posing as legitimate customer care executives of various companies.
Once they established contact with potential victims, they would persuade them to download fake APK file links disguised as official applications for different bank wallets. Through these malicious files and other deceptive techniques, they gained unauthorized access to victims' financial data and siphoned off money.
Evidence Seized and Ongoing Investigation
The police conducted a thorough search and seized a substantial cache of items from the arrested trio. The recovered evidence includes:
- Eight mobile phones
- Ten SIM cards
- Two ATM cards
- Aadhaar cards and PAN cards
- Two motorcycles
- Driving licences
This seizure is critical for the ongoing investigation, as police work to uncover the full network of the scam and identify more victims. The arrest highlights the growing challenge of cybercrime in the region and the innovative, yet malicious, tactics employed by fraudsters to exploit digital trust.
The Gandey police station is proceeding with legal action, and further probes are underway to determine if the accused were part of a larger syndicate operating in multiple states.
