In a significant breakthrough, Theni district police have arrested Rahul Kumar, a 34-year-old man from Bihar, in Delhi for his involvement in an elaborate online fraud that defrauded a man of Rs 17.7 lakh. The arrest followed a complaint filed by A Arulprakash from T Sindalacheri, who fell victim to the scam after ordering a mobile phone cover on the e-commerce site Flipkart.
Arulprakash received a call from a person claiming to be from Flipkart’s prize department, informing him that he had won a prize worth Rs 12,80,000. The caller offered him a choice between a cash prize or a car, and directed him to a website to verify the prize details. Believing the scammer, Arulprakash transferred Rs 17,69,702 to multiple bank accounts, supposedly for various taxes and processing fees required to claim the prize.
However, the fraud continued as the scammers kept demanding more money. It was only after repeated requests for additional funds that Arulprakash realized he had been scammed. He then filed a complaint with the Theni district cybercrime police, triggering a detailed investigation.
The police traced the Rs 17.7 lakh through 11 different bank accounts across India, all of which were linked to a call center operation in Delhi. During the investigation, the police discovered that one of the account holders had unknowingly sent his bank details and SIM card to Delhi at the request of a friend. The friend admitted to sending several other bank accounts and SIM cards to the Pitampura area in Delhi, where they were being used to perpetrate the fraud.
Upon further probing, the Theni police identified Rahul Kumar as the mastermind behind the operation, running three fake call centers in Delhi. He was arrested and two mobile phones, containing key user information, were seized from him.