The Delhi Police have arrested two cybercriminals, Shankar Dan (27) and Pradeep Kumar Dan (26), accused of impersonating bank officials to defraud victims of Rs 10.64 lakh. Both hail from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, with Shankar apprehended in Jharkhand and Pradeep in Birbhum, West Bengal.
The arrests followed a complaint filed on June 30 at the Cyber Police Station, South-West District, regarding a sophisticated fraud. The victim received a call from someone claiming to be an SBI official, warning about bounced cheques. The caller sent a malicious link via WhatsApp, disguised as cheque images. When the victim installed the attached .APK file, it allowed unauthorized access to his Bandhan Bank account.
The fraud resulted in the premature closure of two fixed deposits worth Rs 5,62,000 and Rs 4,54,000, alongside Rs 48,600 debited via Google Ads. The total loss amounted to Rs 10.64 lakh.
Investigations revealed that OTPs generated during transactions were diverted to an unknown number. The stolen money was first transferred to the BillDesk online payment gateway, then used for payments on Axis Bank credit cards and Google Ads services.
Delhi Police traced the fraud devices and calling numbers to Dhanbad through technical analysis. After coordinated raids in Jharkhand and West Bengal, four smartphones were seized from Shankar and two from Pradeep, including devices used for running the BillDesk application and making fraudulent calls.
During interrogation, Shankar admitted to using Amazon Pay to randomly identify victims’ bank details by entering mobile numbers. He impersonated bank officials, fabricating issues like KYC updates or bounced cheques to deceive victims into installing malware. The money obtained was laundered through Axis Bank credit cards and third-party apps like CRED and MobiKwik, with portions converted into gift cards.
Shankar revealed the SIM cards used were sourced from Jamtara, and the malicious APK was distributed via WhatsApp. He earned roughly Rs 5 lakh as his share, with the remaining funds distributed among the syndicate members. Pradeep admitted to managing the BillDesk transactions and receiving a 20% commission.
The duo operated from secluded forested areas near their village to avoid detection, running a sophisticated cyber fraud racket. The Delhi Police continue to investigate further to identify other syndicate members.
