In a significant breakthrough, the Bastar district police have arrested three cyber fraudsters involved in an elaborate internet banking scam that siphoned off over ₹7.33 lakh from a victim’s account. The accused, Mohammed Imran Ansari from Deoghar (Jharkhand), Alimuddin Ansar, alias Aleem, from Jamtara (Jharkhand), and Rajkumar Gautam, alias Rinku Barman, from Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), were arrested following a joint operation with the Mumbai police. These arrests mark the second round of detentions in the case, bringing the total number of accused behind bars to six.
As per Naidunia, the investigation began when a man named Amlesh Kumar lodged a complaint at the Bodhghat police station. On January 21, he received a suspicious phone call from a number claiming to be Axis Bank customer care, offering him a loan. Although he declined the offer, he started receiving multiple OTP messages on his phone. Hours later, his account showed multiple unauthorized transactions, including amounts of ₹4 lakh and ₹3.40 lakh, all withdrawn via net banking. The total fraud amounted to over ₹7.33 lakh, transferred to unknown accounts.
Digital theft via Email manipulation
Upon visiting Axis Bank, Amlesh discovered that a loan had been sanctioned and withdrawn in his name without his knowledge. A deeper probe revealed that the cybercriminals had changed the email ID linked to his net banking account, allowing them to approve the loan and divert the funds. Shockingly, the entire fraud was executed without any physical interaction, exploiting just the digital vulnerabilities. This digital theft underlines the growing threat of sophisticated cybercrime originating from regions like Jamtara, which has become infamous as a hub for such frauds.
As the investigation progressed, three accused were initially arrested, but further tracking and digital evidence led police teams to Mumbai and Jamtara, where three more were caught. With assistance from Mumbai Police, the Bastar team managed to trace the hideout of the absconding accused in a Mumbai hotel. From the arrested culprits, police seized eight mobile phones, 56 ATM and credit cards, five SIM cards, and ₹92,000 in cash. Digital devices used in the crime were also recovered, giving crucial insights into the operational methods of the gang.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals confessed to being part of a wider cybercrime ring run by the mastermind Abdul Majeed, who, along with two others, Kartikeya Rai and Santosh Kumar, were arrested earlier. The gang specialized in opening fake or mule bank accounts to launder money from fraudulent activities. The Bastar police’s swift and coordinated action not only exposed a well-oiled cyber fraud syndicate but also served as a strong reminder of the urgent need for awareness and vigilance among citizens in an increasingly digitized banking environment.
The surge in online banking frauds and digital scams across various regions of Bharat reflects a dangerous shift in the methods employed by organized criminal and ideological networks. What began as targeted efforts to exploit individuals emotionally through tactics like Love Jihad has now evolved into sophisticated financial crimes aimed at destabilizing households and the economy. From phishing scams to large-scale frauds like the onion scam, these actors are diversifying their operations with alarming ease.
