GURGAON: An investigation into a Rs 1.3 crore cyber-fraud, reported by a retired IAF officer, led police to layers of bank accounts, including those belonging to a labourer and a rickshaw-puller. They were paid a small sum for use of their accounts for the fraudulent transactions.
In Feb, retired IAF officer Jai Prakash Taank, who lives in DLF-2, approached Cyber Crime (East) police station and filed a complaint. Taank said he was added to a Telegram group on which other users put up encouraging comments about investing with the gang.
The octogenarian initially got high returns and was persuaded to keep investing. By the time he realised it was a fraud, his money was no longer accessible and gang members snapped all communication.
An FIR was registered against the accused under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Initial investigation pointed cops to an IndusInd Bank account in Rohini. This account – owned by Prakash, a labourer who lived in Delhi’s Bawana – was frozen and Rs 10 lakh that was transferred to it was recovered.
Prakash was arrested on March 9 and he told cops that he took Rs 25,000 from two Yes Bank staffers, Dharmendra and Deepak, who had convinced him to give his account details. The duo was subsequently arrested on March 12.
“The two bankers had received Rs 1.6 lakh each for giving access to bank accounts to the fraudsters and they shared a smaller amount with Prakash,” ACP (cybercrime) Priyanshu Dewan said.
Similarly, transactions to other bank accounts by the fraudsters led police to arrest Pinky, her husband Vikas, and their friend Puja.
