In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch has arrested four fraudsters who allegedly extorted over Rs50 lakh from unsuspecting victims by impersonating police officers and threatening legal action over watching “inappropriate content.”
The scam targeted over 66 individuals across Kanpur and nearby districts, with callers accusing them of criminal online behavior and demanding money to avoid police action.
Arrested Accused:
Shivam Verma – Naubasta’s KDA Colony, Sagar Puri (ringleader)
Ankit Dixit – M Block, Kidwainagar
Gaurav Sachan – Deendayalpuram, Naubasta Gallamandi
Kasan Rayeen – O Block, Kidwainagar
Their education backgrounds vary, with Shivam and Ankit having studied up to the 8th standard, Kasan up to the 6th, and Gaurav having dropped out of an LLB program.
According to DCP Crime M M Qasim Abidi, the mastermind Shivam had earlier operated a public service center in Noida before returning to Kanpur in 2023. There, he opened a cyber café and acquired franchises of two private banks, using them as a front to execute the fraud.
Police are still searching for Shivam’s cousins—Amit, Rahul, and Aman—with Rahul and Aman believed to have made the threatening impersonation calls that terrified victims into transferring money.
3 biometric authentication machines
1 Fino Bank payment mini ATM device
7 pre-activated Airtel 5G SIMs
1 Vodafone pre-activated SIM
95 additional Airtel 5G SIM cards
12 Fino Bank debit cards
38 Fino Bank combo kits (account opening tools)
1 Airtel Payment Bank kit
5 smartphones
The scam involved a complex mix of cyber intimidation and banking fraud, where the gang used pre-activated SIMs and fake bank accounts to mask their identities and reroute payments.
Police officials believe this was a well-organized cyber extortion network and have expanded the probe to uncover digital footprints and financial trails that could lead to more arrests.
