In a significant breakthrough, Navi Mumbai Cyber Police have arrested Ashiq Ali, alias Arif (32), a key member of an inter-state gang of cyber criminals wanted by police in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The arrest took place in Delhi following an investigation into a fraud reported by a 26-year-old woman from Kalamboli, who was cheated out of Rs14 lakh under the guise of a personal loan.
The Zone II Cyber Cell began investigating the case after the victim lodged her complaint in July. Technical leads from the investigation led them to Delhi, where they apprehended Ashiq Ali.
Four additional accomplices of Ali are still at large, including one IT professional working for a multinational corporation in Gurgaon. “We are now looking for the four wanted accused,” said Inspector Deepali Patil from the Zone II Cyber Cell.
According to police, the gang’s modus operandi involved using a new phone number for each target and registering as ‘Axis Bank’ on Truecaller to gain the victims’ trust. Once the call was answered, the scammers would extract personal details and then use net banking to apply for loans in the victims’ names, transferring the funds to different accounts.
“They would engage the victim in conversation to obtain all bank details while simultaneously operating net banking. When the victim would deny applying for a loan, the scammers would generate various OTPs to facilitate the transfer of funds from the victim’s account,” Patil explained. The victim from Kalamboli received the call while at her office and, seeing the Truecaller notification as ‘Axis Bank,’ believed it was legitimate.
In the gang, each member has a specific role: Ali and another accomplice made the calls, while one member was responsible for sourcing various SIM cards and phones for the scams. Ali would determine the budget for these purchases and provide the necessary resources to the designated accomplice. He is currently in police custody.
To further deceive the victim, the gang sent a fake ID card of an Axis Bank employee to bolster their credibility. Authorities believe that the gang was preparing to impersonate HDFC bankers and continue their fraudulent activities when Ali was arrested.
