In a major crackdown on organized cybercrime, the Delhi Police has arrested ten individuals belonging to an international syndicate accused of defrauding people through elaborate online scams. The coordinated operation spanned seven states across India.
Pan-India Raids and Dramatic Arrests
The arrests were made in Delhi, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. The investigation, initiated by the southeast Delhi police, led to the suspects being tracked through air, road, and rail routes. They were intercepted at strategic locations including the New Delhi Railway Station and Mumbai airport.
In a dramatic turn, one of the key accused, Mohammad Ahteshamul Haq (35), was apprehended on a flight while attempting to flee to Dubai. The police suspect the total fraud amount orchestrated by this network exceeds Rs 50 crore and is connected to over 66 complaints filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Modus Operandi: Impersonation and Threats
The case first came to light on December 7 following a complaint by Tanbir Ahmad, a resident of Shaheen Bagh. Ahmad reported being cheated of Rs 99,888 by fraudsters who impersonated Karnataka Police officers. The scammers threatened him via WhatsApp video calls, falsely claiming his Aadhaar and mobile numbers were linked to serious crimes.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari formed a special team under Additional DCP Ishan Bhardwaj to probe the matter, which unraveled the extensive syndicate.
Syndicate Structure and Key Players
The racket was allegedly masterminded by two brothers from Kerala, Muhammad Bugari P and Muhammad Shahid T, who were arrested from a train in Delhi. Police records show Shahid T was previously involved in two criminal cases.
The accused performed specialized roles within the scam ecosystem:
- Dharmender Chauhan (34) and Somveer Saini (29), both from Uttar Pradesh, coordinated the procurement of 'mule' bank accounts and cash withdrawals. Chauhan has a prior criminal history.
- Santosh Kumar Khandai (32) handled the illegal activation of SIM cards and WhatsApp authentication. Police suspect he provided over 100 SIM cards using credentials of unsuspecting citizens.
Investigators revealed the syndicate was in contact with scammers based in China, indicating its international links.
Scale of Fraud and Seized Evidence
An analysis of the 66 complaints linked to the gang shows a wide range of cyber frauds: 43 were related to investment scams, 8 to digital fraud, 8 to job fraud, with the rest being miscellaneous. Fourteen complaints were specifically registered against accounts used by Muhammad Bugari P.
Police have seized substantial evidence, including 10 mobile phones, multiple debit and credit cards, digital records like WhatsApp chats and voice notes, and a car used by the accused.
In a related development, the Delhi Police crime branch busted another cyber fraud operation involving a fake website that cloned a popular hotel-booking platform. This separate scam was uncovered after a complaint from a US-based victim who lost Rs 57,186. The accused posed as customer support to trick the victim into sharing OTP and UPI details.
