Cops blow lid off fraud racket, arrest 52 in nation-wide op

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad city cyber crimes unit arrested as many as 52 persons including three senior bank officials during a special operation conducted across the country. The operation led to the detection of 33 major cases by the cybercrime police. The cyber crimes unit has successfully conducted a special operation with seven teams across various States, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, and Hyderabad.

The bank officials were arrested for Rs 2.98 crore trading frauds. The police arrested Shubham Kumar Jha – Deputy Manager, RBL Bank, Bangalore. He played a key role in enabling the fraudulent transactions by exploiting his access to sensitive financial data and facilitating unauthorized transfers.

Haroon Rasheed Imamuddin Dharawad, Assistant Vice President at Axis Bank, Bangalore, misused his position to enable fraudulent activities by authorising unauthorised transactions and bypassing standard banking procedures, allowing the perpetrators to embezzle substantial amounts. Similarly, Kata Srinivasa Rao, Sales Manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank were also involved.

He utilised his position to recruit unsuspecting customers into fraudulent schemes and facilitated the opening of accounts that were used for money laundering purposes, enabling large-scale financial fraud.

According to the police, the nature of the cases includes three cases of trading fraud, four cases of digital fraud arrest, six cases of investment frauds, two cases of data theft fraud,

three cases of social media, three cases of job fraud, nine cases of Tipline (CSAM) and each one case under part time job, APK file fraud, and USDT purchase fraud. The total fraud amount in these cases were Rs 88,32,58,511.

The arrested persons were wanted in a total of 576 cases across India, and 74 cases from Telangana. The police seized 43

mobile phones, 39 ATM cards, 17 bank passbooks, 54 cheque books, 16 SIM cards, three laptops, 13 shell stamps, net cash of Rs 47.90 lakh and crypto currency worth Rs 40 lakh, totalling Rs 87.90 lakh.

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner CV Anand said that additionally, Rs 2.87 crore has been frozen in the bank accounts of the accused. “The teams coordinated with police units across different States to track and apprehend the accused. The operations were conducted based on detailed intelligence and advanced investigative methods to uncover the networks behind these fraud schemes,” he added.

Stating the cyber crime unit performance overview for 2024, the Commissioner said that the cyber crime unit detected a total 354 cases and arrested 300 persons (294 men and six women) and 511 persons arrested under PT warrants and others. The unit refunded Rs 41,34,77,454 to the victims Rs 41,22,03,795.80 amount was frozen in NCRP and Rs 80,16,42,871 was put on hold by investigation officers. The cybercrime police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and avoid interacting with individuals on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram who promote enticing investment opportunities. They also warned against websites or groups that promise high returns on small investments.

The police also urge citizens to remain vigilant and cautious of unknown calls or messages. Always verify claims by visiting your nearest police station, as law enforcement agencies never issue digital arrests or demand money for proving inno cence.

If anyone encounters any suspicious activity, immediately report it by calling the cybercrime helpline at 1930 or visiting the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in, stated the police.