In a major crackdown on cybercrime, Azamgarh police have arrested seven members of an organised cyber fraud gang operating under the guise of an online game called Cricket Buzz. The gang is accused of defrauding victims across multiple states, with approximately Rs 95 crore involved, spanning 208 bank accounts. The police also froze Rs 1 crore and seized goods worth Rs 15 lakh, including 51 mobile phones, four laptops, 42 ATM cards, 13 bank passbooks, 79 SIM cards, four cheque books, and one fibre router.
According to Azamgarh SSP Hemraj Meena, the arrests were made in Pandeypur, located in the Badalalpur police station area of Varanasi district. The gang used various platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook to lure people into participating in fake online games with promises of doubling or tripling their money. Victims were directed to log onto a fraudulent website, where they were tricked into transferring money to fake accounts and mobile phones.
The police discovered that members of this gang were based in both India and abroad, including in Sri Lanka and the UAE, facilitating the exchange of illegally obtained funds. As of now, 45 cyber fraud complaints have been registered across various states against the gang.
The police also revealed that this gang had initially operated in Azamgarh, where they were arrested in November 2024, but later moved their operations to Varanasi. To deceive their victims, the gang created channels on WhatsApp and Telegram under the name Cricket Buzz, and used platforms like Instagram and Facebook to advertise fake games.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Shubham Jaiswal (Mirzapur district), Dhanjeet Yadav (Jaunpur district), Ajay Yadav (Varanasi district), Abhay Rai (Chandauli district), Avinash Rai (Asansol, West Bengal), Shubham Yadav (Varanasi district), and Piyush Yadav (Jaunpur district). The joint operation was carried out by the cybercrime police station in Azamgarh and SWAT from Badalalpur police station, Varanasi.
Authorities have vowed to continue their fight against cybercrime and bring justice to the victims of this large-scale online fraud.
