Patna Police are set to take Saurabh Dwivedi, the alleged kingpin of a massive ATM and cyber fraud racket, on police remand for intensive questioning. Dwivedi, a resident of Nautan in Bettiah area of West Champaran district, is accused of orchestrating a highly organised network that allegedly defrauded victims of more than Rs 55 crore.
Police officials said the fraud amount could increase further, as investigators have also uncovered evidence of cryptocurrency transactions linked to the racket. Although 12 members of the gang have already been arrested, Dwivedi is believed to be the central figure behind the operation.
Most of those arrested so far are bank agents and software engineers. Police said Dwivedi’s interrogation is crucial to uncover the full scale of the network, its financial trail, and the involvement of insiders from banking institutions. Investigators added that Dwivedi has a criminal history, as does his close associate Satyam Kumar, a 23-year-old software engineer from Muzaffarpur. Multiple bank accounts linked to both have been frozen.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K Sharma explained that the gang used two major techniques to carry out the frauds. In one method, fraudsters applied glue inside ATM card slots, causing cards to get stuck. While one accomplice pretended to help the victim, another discreetly noted the PIN. Fake helpline numbers pasted on the machines diverted victims to fraudsters, who stalled them on calls while withdrawing money using the trapped cards.
The second method involved online gaming platforms, where victims were lured with promises of easy profits and rewards. Many suffered substantial financial losses after investing through these fraudulent apps.
Police further revealed that the proceeds were laundered through mule accounts. Certain bankers are suspected of sharing details of low-balance accounts, after which gang members allegedly persuaded account holders to hand over their passbooks and ATM cards in exchange for small amounts of cash.
Information provided by arrested accused Rahul Kumar has reportedly linked Dwivedi to several bankers across multiple institutions. Police teams are actively following these leads.
Those arrested include Mohammad Amir (26), Amri (22), Mohammad Bakar (27), Mohammad Zahid Ahsan (28), Navneet Kumar alias Saurabh (23), Sonu Kumar (28), Sujeet Kumar (23), Prabhat Ranjan Kautuk (28), Mohammad Khusham (25), Vishal Kumar (23), Rahul (27), and Satyam. All were arrested on December 24.
During raids, police recovered 54 ATM cards, 11 passbooks, 23 mobile phones with SIM cards, five extra SIMs, Rs 5,900 in cash, two four-wheelers, 28 cheque books, two blank cheques, and one passport. Further operations are underway in districts including Gaya, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, and West Champaran to arrest the remaining suspects.
