The Panchkula District Cyber Crime Police arrested two accused, Karan Kumar of Unnao, Uttar Pradesh (currently residing in Dhakoli, Zirakpur) and Kanav Kapoor of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for orchestrating a complex cyber fraud scheme using bank accounts opened in the names of migrant labourers. The arrests followed a sting operation conducted on June 14.
Investigations revealed that Karan Kumar approached migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, promising financial benefits under various government welfare schemes. Gaining their trust, he collected personal documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and voter IDs to open bank accounts in their names. Karan retained all banking materials including passbooks, cheque books, ATM cards, and linked SIM cards.
These accounts were later exploited for illegal cybercrime activities. Kanav Kapoor was instrumental in the operation, meeting Karan near the Sector 20 cremation ground to receive the details of these fabricated accounts. Police intercepted the duo at around 8:20 PM on June 14; Karan was riding a motorcycle while Kanav was on foot carrying a suspicious bag.
During interrogation, Karan confessed to selling each fake labourer-based bank account to Kanav for Rs3,000. Kanav used these accounts to launder illicit funds and shared the proceeds with Karan. The case highlights a disturbing trend of cybercrime exploiting vulnerable migrant workers’ identities.
