Rs 799 kurti that never came, but led cops to Rs 30-crore cyber frauds

New Delhi: A routine online shopping order for a kurti worth Rs 799 led Delhi Police to unearth an alleged cyber fraud syndicate that channelled credit transactions worth over Rs 30 crore through a network of bank accounts. Seven people have been arrested.The probe began after a student of Delhi University’s Ramjas College was allegedly cheated of Rs 6,450 by an online seller who repeatedly demanded payments on the pretext of facilitating a parcel delivery. Following an analysis of nearly 200 mobile numbers and IMEIs, police traced the money trail to Greater Noida and Kanpur. Police have linked 27 cyber fraud complaints from different states to the network.The student had come across an advertisement for a kurti on a social media platform. She was redirected to WhatsApp, where she placed an order worth Rs 799 and paid Rs 400 in advance through a QR code. She later received a call for a passcode for delivery. On contacting the seller, she was allegedly induced to pay Rs 1,150 as a refundable charge for generating the code, followed by payments of Rs 2,000, Rs 2,650 and Rs 650 on similar pretexts. The parcel never arrived and no money was refunded, police said.DCP (north) Niharika Bhatt said investigators analysed banking transactions and digital records obtained from companies. The cheated amount was traced through a merchant account to a bank account linked to a firm in Greater Noida.Sustained surveillance led to coordinated raids in Greater Noida on Oct 16, resulting in the arrest of Aditya Mishra (23), Ayush Verma (22), Abhishek Pal (23), Himanshu Rana (29), Rahul Kumar (30) and Gaurav Pandey (24). Udit Pratap Singh Bhadauriya (22) was arrested in Kanpur on Oct 21.Police said searches at rented premises in Greater Noida led them to three suspected firms. Investigators claimed that the firms were used to open bank accounts that were subsequently supplied to cyber fraudsters.Mishra allegedly said he, Bhadauriya, Verma and Pal had set up the firms and opened current accounts, which were handed over to Rana and Kumar for a monthly payment of Rs 25,000. The two allegedly supplied the accounts, along with banking kits and linked SIM cards, to Pandey, an MBA graduate.Pandey allegedly operated a bank account supply network and provided the accounts to individuals identified as Maxwell and Solitaire on a commission basis. Police said the two communicated through WhatsApp numbers bearing the US country code. The accounts were allegedly used to receive and route money obtained through cyber fraud.Mishra and Bhadauriya are BBA graduates, while Verma holds a BCA degree, Pal has an ITI qualification, and Rana and Kumar are BA graduates.Police seized 20 mobile phones, 45 SIM cards, 39 point-of-sale machines, 33 debit cards, 28 cheque books, 15 scanners and two laptops, besides banking documents.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in DelhiStay updated with the latest Delhi news. Download the TOI App.