Muzaffarnagar police have dismantled an interstate cyber fraud network that allegedly used bank accounts opened in the names of unsuspecting villagers to channel more than Rs 1 crore in fraudulent proceeds across multiple states. The accused lured victims with loan promises or small payments, then took control of their ATM cards, cheque books, passbooks, and PIN details.
Case Details
The case came to light on June 15 when Farzana, a resident of the Bhopa area, filed a complaint at the Civil Lines police station. She alleged that two men promised to arrange a loan for her and opened a bank account in her name. “They took my ATM card, cheque book, passbook, PIN details and other banking documents. The loan was never sanctioned, and fraudulent money was routed through my account,” she stated.
Police Action
Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Verma said an FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 318 (cheating), 336 (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable security), and 340 (using forged documents as genuine). Police analyzed ATM CCTV footage, bank transactions, and inputs from the surveillance cell and cyber police station, leading to the arrest of four accused: Aryan Tomar alias Shubham and Badal Rana from Baghpat district, and Ashu Tyagi and Navneet Tyagi from Amroha district.
Police recovered seven ATM cards, four fake Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, three bank passbooks, eight mobile phones, and a car from their possession. Investigators said the accused withdrew money through ATMs and, in some cases, converted fraud proceeds into cryptocurrency via Telegram-based channels.
Modus Operandi
During interrogation, the accused confessed that they targeted economically vulnerable people, especially women, persuading them to open bank accounts in exchange for small sums or loan promises. “They would take ATM cards, passbooks, cheque books and PIN details from account holders and use these accounts to receive cyber fraud money,” a police officer said.
Financial Trail
Verma said transactions worth approximately Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore were traced through accounts controlled by the gang. “The accused have links with cybercrime cases reported in several states. Their operations extended to Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” he added.
Police verified the accounts through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and found several complaints linked to them. Officials said these “mule accounts” helped cyber criminals receive and move fraud money quickly before victims or police could block transactions.
Ongoing Investigation
“Further investigation is underway to trace the interstate network, identify handlers and follow the financial trail,” Verma said, adding that all four accused were being sent to jail after completing legal formalities. Police are also identifying villagers whose accounts may have been misused and examining whether any local agents or bank staff facilitated the opening or operation of accounts without proper scrutiny. The cyber cell is tracking transaction trails, ATM withdrawals, mobile numbers, fake identity documents, and cryptocurrency conversions to identify others linked to the racket.
