Delhi Police have arrested eight individuals involved in a cyber fraud racket that cheated a 42-year-old woman from Vasant Kunj of Rs15.58 lakh by promising high returns on stock market investments. The arrests followed a detailed investigation into a sophisticated network operating across India and abroad.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said the fraudsters initially contacted victims through WhatsApp numbers operated from Cambodia. Indian associates played a key role by arranging and managing mule bank accounts in exchange for commissions.
The accused have been identified as Vanapatla Sunil Kumar (43), Sakinala Shankar (61), Manoj Yadav (38), Sandeep Singh (30), Aditya Pratap Singh (23), Rahul (30), Sheru (38), and Sompal (34).
Police recovered 10 high-end mobile phones and 13 SIM cards allegedly used to operate multiple mule accounts, transfer defrauded funds, and communicate with foreign handlers.
An e-FIR was registered on November 7 after the victim reported being lured by messages offering expert stock trading guidance with assured profits. She was convinced to transfer money to several bank accounts controlled by the accused.
Investigators traced the money trail using technical surveillance and digital forensics. Sunil Kumar, a resident of Telangana, was identified as a major supplier of mule bank accounts. He allegedly created a fake firm in Keesara and opened a current account in a private bank to route cyber fraud proceeds.
Further interrogation revealed the involvement of Sakinala Shankar and Manoj Yadav, leading to subsequent arrests in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Aditya Pratap Singh was found to be coordinating mule accounts nationwide and sharing access details with foreign handlers via social media.
The stolen funds were layered through multiple Indian bank accounts to conceal their origin before being transferred abroad. Sompal, an MBA graduate and former software company owner, allegedly allowed the use of his corporate account for bulk transactions after his business shut down.
Police stated that 51 cybercrime complaints were linked to Sompal’s account alone, with a total of 63 complaints connected to the entire network.
