The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested two cyber fraudsters involved in a major UPI hijack scam. Among the arrested is a former Ola Foods manager, Ajit Sharma, who, along with his accomplice, Gagan, orchestrated a scheme to gain unauthorized access to mobile banking apps on stolen or lost phones. The scam involved siphoning off large sums of money from victims’ accounts, particularly through fraudulent UPI transactions.
The fraud came to light when Mr. Paswan, a Swaroop Nagar resident, reported the theft of his Realme 9i phone on November 8, 2024. After securing a new SIM card on November 12, he was notified of several unauthorized transactions, which led to a loss of Rs 20 lakh. Mr. Paswan filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) on November 15, 2024.
A dedicated investigation team, led by Inspector Raman Kumar Singh and supervised by senior officers, including ACP Dinesh Kumar and Addl. DCP Rajeev Kumar Ambasta, analyzed call records and banking data. Their efforts led to successful raids across Vrindavan and Delhi, ultimately resulting in the identification and arrest of Gagan and Ajit.
The suspects, who were linked to over 100 similar cases, used stolen phones to reset UPI PINs and transfer funds illegally. Gagan, a B.Tech dropout, manipulated the devices, while Ajit managed the financial transactions. The police recovered stolen phones, fraudulent accounts, and Rs 1.05 lakh in cash from the duo. Further investigations are ongoing.
