UP: 13 arrested for using loan pretext to facilitate cyber fraud

Bahraich (UP), Jul 13 (PTI) Thirteen members of a gang have been arrested in Bahraich district for allegedly taking control of people's bank accounts and banking instruments under the pretence of helping them secure loans, police said on Monday. They allegedly used these accounts to conduct transactions involving money obtained through cyber fraud. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vishwajeet Srivastava said that the police had registered four cases of cybercrime in the district over the past four days, leading to the arrest of a total of 13 accused in separate operations. All the cyber criminals are residents of various police station areas of Bahraich. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused would gain the trust of unsuspecting individuals by promising to arrange loans. They would then obtain personal items such as ATM cards, SIM cards, cheque books, and other banking details linked to the victims' accounts, the officer informed. He added that these bank accounts and banking instruments were subsequently used to transfer, withdraw, and conduct other suspicious financial transactions involving funds generated through cybercrime. According to Srivastava, in two cases registered on July 12 by Upendra Singh (resident of Dargah Sharif area) and Sahabuddin (resident of Motipur police station area), the police, assisted by the cyber cell, arrested eight accused on that very day (Sunday). The arrested individuals have been identified as Monu Maurya, Sahil Beg, Fahim, Saurabh Mishra, Noor Ahmed, Mohammad Aamir, Shakeel Ahmed and Santosh Singh. The SP informed that the police had arrested five other suspects related to two similar cases logged at the Kotwali Dehat and Kotwali Nagar police stations on July 9 and 10, based on complaints filed by Shivram Shukla and Anupam Pandey. These accused were identified as Ashish Kashyap, Nihal Sharma, Ravi Kumar, and Shambhu Soni (residents of the Kotwali Dehat police station area), and Arjun Singh (resident of the Nanpara police station area). Police stated that the arrested accused also face allegations of threatening the victims with implication in legal cases and death threats to deter them from filing complaints. The SP said that a detailed investigation into the flow of funds is underway, based on bank statements, digital evidence, and other financial records. The roles of other potential associates linked to the gang, beneficiary bank accounts, the cyber network, and related individuals are also being examined. He added that further legal action would be taken based on the facts and evidence that emerge during the investigation. PTI COR NAV MPL MPL