The Basti Police have arrested six members of an organised inter-state cyber fraud syndicate that operated through numerous mule bank accounts across Uttar Pradesh and beyond.
According to DIG Sanjeev Tyagi, early-morning raids were conducted by teams from Kotwali, Lalganj, and Sonha police stations, assisted by the district cyber cell.
Three members—Sujit Chaudhary, Nipendra Chaudhary, and Ramnath Chauhan—were arrested near Mathauli Chhath Ghat, while Ashwini Pathak, Nikhil Tripathi, and Prashant Mishra were intercepted near Basti bus stand within an hour.
Police revealed multiple schemes used by the gang:
Investment-Trading Lure (Kotwali): Victims were promised high returns via online trading. Their banking credentials were collected, and proceeds from other states were funneled into the gang’s accounts.
Free Bank Account Scam (Lalganj): Gang members opened bank accounts for villagers using fake SIM cards and retained ATM cards and chequebooks for later misuse.
Government Scheme Scam (Sonha): Members claimed to help residents access government funds, collected all documents, and used them to launder cybercrime proceeds.
Basti SP Abhinandan confirmed that 38 bank accounts have been identified, linked to over 74 cyber fraud complaints across multiple states. The total fraud amount traced so far is Rs4,49,61,225, with investigators expecting this figure to rise.
The accused have been booked in three separate cases registered at Kotwali, Lalganj, and Sonha police stations under relevant sections of the IPC, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the IT Act (66D).
