The Cyber Crime Police Station in Prayagraj has successfully arrested Abhishek Mandal, the leader of an interstate cybercrime gang, involved in a fake bank KYC scam that defrauded victims across multiple states of more than Rs100 lakh.
The scam involved the criminals posing as bank officials and contacting victims with a request to update their KYC details. Victims were then tricked into downloading remote access apps like AnyDesk or TeamViewer, which gave the fraudsters full control over their mobile devices.
Using this unauthorized access, the gang members took out loans in the victims’ names using the YONO SBI app and transferred the funds to various accounts. ATM cards linked to these accounts were then used to withdraw the stolen money at ATMs in states like West Bengal and Jharkhand. The fraudsters also purchased fake SIM cards from states like West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to carry out the scam.
Abhishek Mandal, a 36-year-old from South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, was arrested after a detailed investigation. The police seized key evidence from him, including an Apple iPhone, an Android mobile, 2 SIM cards, and 2 ATM cards that were linked to the fraudulent transactions.
The police are continuing their investigation into the larger interstate network and working to identify additional suspects involved in this sophisticated cybercrime operation.
