In a significant crackdown, Delhi Police have arrested four individuals from West Bengal, Gujarat, and Rajasthan for their involvement in a massive cybercrime scheme that defrauded people across India of crores of rupees. These accused facilitated an international cybercrime syndicate by providing Indian bank accounts for transferring stolen funds, which were subsequently converted into bitcoins.
Among the arrested is Aditya Sonkar, a 23-year-old goldsmith from Kolkata, whose bank account recorded transactions amounting to Rs4.28 crore over the last seven months, despite earning only Rs20,000-25,000 per month. The case came to light when a 45-year-old deputy general manager of an international firm, residing in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, reported being cheated out of Rs42 lakh through a fake online stock investment scheme.
The complaint led to the registration of a first information report at the cyber police station in March. The investigation revealed that the other arrested individuals include Chetan Singh Ranawat (33) from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, Nikunj Ashwinbhai Makvana (29) from Amreli, Gujarat, and Sumit Shaw (23), also from Kolkata. These individuals, mostly daily wagers, had their bank accounts used to facilitate the scam, which was connected to at least 72 complaints lodged on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
The scheme began when the complainant encountered an investment advertisement on Instagram and subsequently joined a WhatsApp group. After investing Rs42 lakh, attempts to withdraw funds were met with refusal, prompting the victim to contact the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary indicated that the police adopted a dual approach, investigating financial trails while also leveraging technical leads. This strategy led to the arrest of Makvana in Gujarat, who admitted to sharing his account details with Ranawat. Further inquiries unveiled that Sonkar and Shaw were also complicit in the scheme, with connections to a cyber scamster currently evading capture.
Authorities have confiscated five mobile phones used in the operation, which facilitated communication and fund transfers within the international fraud network.