The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has successfully dismantled a notorious cybercrime gang that allegedly extorted over Rs 100 crore by digitally “arresting” more than 100 victims. Operating from a hotel in Gurugram, Haryana, the gang impersonated officers from prestigious agencies such as the CBI, Narcotics Department, and Crime Branch.
According to the STF, the mastermind behind this elaborate fraud was 28-year-old Pankaj Surela from Alwar, Rajasthan. Investigators revealed that Pankaj had undergone specialized training in Cambodia in March 2024, where he was mentored by Chinese handlers.
The STF’s investigation uncovered that the gang used sophisticated methods to extort money from their victims. They coerced individuals by pretending to be law enforcement officials and threatened them with dire consequences unless large sums were transferred. Once the funds were secured, they laundered the money using cryptocurrency, moving it across borders to evade detection.
Five members of the gang were arrested, including Pankaj Surela and his associates: Sagar Singh (24), a BTech dropout; Sunny Verma (24), a BBA graduate; Anshul Mahaur (21), a B.Com graduate; and Abhay Singh (21), also a BBA graduate. All were apprehended from a hotel in Gurugram.
During the raid, the STF recovered several pieces of evidence, including six mobile phones, two ATM cards, an Aadhaar card, and numerous screenshots containing bank account details used for the fraud. One significant breakthrough came when Dr. Ashok Solanki from Lucknow filed a complaint in August, detailing how he was digitally arrested by fraudsters pretending to be officials from FedEx and the Mumbai Crime Branch. He was pressured into transferring Rs 48 lakh to help “resolve” the matter.
Further investigation revealed that the fraud network had global connections, operating in countries such as India, Cambodia, Nepal, and Pakistan. Pankaj’s training in Cambodia was facilitated by Suresh Sen, who paid him Rs 3 lakh to participate in a scheme to scam victims in India. After his training, Pankaj and his team launched a systematic campaign to access bank accounts through malicious APK files installed on victims’ phones. This gave them remote access to bank details, enabling them to siphon off large sums of money.
The gang ran operations through over 500 bank accounts to facilitate money laundering, using multiple layers of accounts to cover their tracks. They funneled approximately 70% of the stolen funds into cryptocurrency wallets linked to the operation, while retaining 30% as their commission. In one particularly egregious case, the gang managed to defraud Rs 2.5 crore during the Diwali season using a Canara Bank account provided by their associate, Sandeep.
The STF has shared details of the investigation with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and other law enforcement agencies to aid in the ongoing probe.
