Punjab Police’s State Cybercrime Division has uncovered a significant MSP payment fraud, leading to the arrest of four individuals who manipulated the Anaaj Kharid Portal to redirect crop payments into their own bank accounts.
The arrested individuals—identified as Manish, Jasvir Singh, Angrej Singh, and Balwinder Singh—are believed to have used an innovative method to commit the fraud. According to Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) V Neeraja, the accused swapped mobile numbers of farmers with their own, which allowed them to update bank account details on the portal. After the payments were processed, they would revert the details to avoid detection.
The fraud came to light after the Food and Civil Supplies Department in Punjab received complaints from farmers who hadn’t received payment for their crops sold during the 2024 paddy season. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the payments had been diverted to various bank accounts belonging to the accused.
The cybercrime division’s investigation revealed that unauthorized access to the Anaaj Kharid Portal was made possible by a mobile device purchased using fake identification, which allowed the gang to alter farmers’ account details by obtaining OTPs. The operation was reportedly carried out from remote areas of Muktsar, where a dedicated internet connection was set up to access and modify the portal’s records.
During the investigation, the police teams used multiple OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) techniques to track down the accused, leading to their arrests in District Moga and District Muktsar. Further questioning is ongoing to determine the involvement of other individuals.
The ADGP also indicated that there might be a connection to officials within the Mandi Board, the Food Supply Department, or commission agents who may have shared sensitive information with the scammers. Raids are being conducted to apprehend other suspects involved in the case.
A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT Act at the Police Station State Cyber Crime, Punjab.
