In a significant development in the cyber fraud case involving Panchkula Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, police have arrested three main accused from Patna, Bihar, nearly a month after the Rs42.52 lakh scam came to light.
The newly arrested accused are:
Rahul Kumar alias Bunty of Saran, Bihar
Alok Kumar alias Bantu of Muzaffarpur, Bihar
Prateek Raj alias Ankit of Aurangabad, Bihar
All three were apprehended following interrogation of previously arrested suspects. These arrests bring the total number of accused in custody to six.
The district cyber crime cell, which has been actively investigating the case, also recovered a trove of items used in the fraud, including:
16 mobile phones
2 laptops
37 ATM cards
3 Paytm sound boxes
2 Jio Fiber devices
4 fake SIM cards
3 bank kits
9 cheque books
2 passbooks
Rs30,000 in cash
The case originated on June 26, when Mayor Goyal’s son noticed suspicious messages about two unauthorized transactions from their company’s bank account. Further inquiry revealed that the fraudsters had used forged letterheads and documents to siphon off Rs42.52 lakh.
Earlier, on July 5, two accused were arrested from Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, followed by another arrest from Bihar on July 18. Investigators placed the suspects in remand for questioning, which eventually led them to the core operatives of the racket.
Police believe the scam was executed through a well-coordinated cyber crime ring, and further investigation is ongoing to uncover any other members or operations linked to this network.
