New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): Delhi Police has arrested four cyber fraudsters, busting a sophisticated cyber fraud syndicate involved in a high-value cheating case wherein the accused, impersonating senior officials of the Army and the Indian Air Force, cheated the complainant of over Rs 5 lakhs.

A complaint was received at Inter-State Cell (ISC) Crime Branch, wherein the complainant alleged that unknown persons had committed cyber fraud by impersonating officials of the Indian Air Force. The accused induced the complainant to supply Aluminous Laterite (Industrial Grade 40-45%) based on a forged purchase order purportedly issued by the Air Force, police said.

After the dispatch of the material to the Air Force Station, the complainant was asked to deposit money on the pretext of vendor registration, with the fraudsters falsely claiming that he was not listed as an approved vendor. Suspecting foul play, the complainant approached the police. The complainant suffered a loss of Rs 5,06,415 due to the fraudulent supply of goods.

Accordingly, an FIR was registered at the Police Station Crime Branch under relevant sections pertaining to forgery and cheating by impersonation, the police said.

During technical analysis, it was revealed that the SIM cards used in the commission of the offence had been issued from Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, but were being operated from fixed/static locations in District Nuh, Mewat, Haryana. This indicated that the racket was being operated by cyber fraudsters based in the Mewat region.

Considering the gravity and interstate ramifications of the case, a dedicated team comprising Sub-Inspectors Ashish Sharma and Gulab Singh; Assistant Sub-Inspectors Shailendra Singh and Jafruddin; Head Constables Surendra, Mahendra, Karmbir and Shakti; and Ct. Naveen Yadav was constituted under the leadership of Insp. Kamal Kumar Yadav, under the supervision of Ramesh Lamba, ACP/ISC, Crime Branch, police siad.

Acting on precise intelligence and technical inputs developed during investigation by Ct. Naveen, the team successfully identified and traced the subscribers of the SIM cards, namely Manish and Kaushal, residents of Bulandshahar and Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, respectively. Both accused were apprehended and arrested.

Sustained follow-up investigation and coordinated efforts further led to the apprehension and arrest of co-accused Burhan alias Amir and Rizwan Ahmed, both residents of Nuh, Mewat, Haryana.

During sustained interrogation, the accused disclosed that multiple SIM cards were procured in the names of different individuals, including Manish and Kaushal, and subsequently supplied to Burhan @ Amir and Rizwan. These SIM cards were further handed over to end users/fraudsters engaged in cheating businessmen by impersonating Army and Indian Air Force officials, the police said.

Burhan alias Amir and Rizwan further disclosed that a significant number of youths in remote areas of Nuh, Mewat, are involved in cybercrime activities involving impersonation of Army and Indian Air Force officials. For executing such frauds, they rely on SIM cards and bank accounts procured in the names of different individuals to conceal identities and evade law enforcement scrutiny.

The accused further revealed that they had supplied approximately 30 SIM cards at the rate of 1,500 per SIM card and six bank accounts at the rate of 6,000 per account to their associates.

The police have arrested four accused so far identified as Manish, Kaushal, Amir and Rizwan Ahmed. Continuous raids and search operations are being conducted to apprehend the remaining accused persons.

During interrogation, the arrested accused disclosed that they operated a well-organised cyber fraud racket by impersonating officials of the Indian Air Force. After identifying and targeting businessmen, they would place orders for supply of goods using forged purchase orders and fabricated official documents to establish credibility.

Once the goods reached the designated location, the victims were asked to deposit money on the pretext of account mapping, vendor registration or other procedural formalities. In cases where victims complied, additional payments were demanded under various fabricated pretexts, thereby continuing the deception and cheating the victims, police said.

In the present case, forged and fabricated purchase orders and related documents were sent to the complainant to create a false impression of a genuine government procurement transaction, thereby inducing him to supply Aluminous Laterite (Industrial Grade 40-45%). (ANI)