New Delhi, October 19: The Cyber ​​Police Station of Central Delhi has busted an interstate cyber fraud racket and arrested three people in Lucknow, police said.
One of the accused claims to be a social media influencer with nearly 100,000 Instagram followers. He was allegedly raising money for his social media career by selling his bank accounts to cybercriminals.Â
Central District Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Nidhin Valsan said on Sunday that the cyber police took action in two separate cases. The gang defrauded people across the country through online “work from home” offers, fake marketplaces, and mule bank accounts.Â
According to the Deputy Commissioner, in the first case, victim Smita Verma was duped of ₹31,800 by promising hotel ratings. The accused, Alok Kumar (32) and Aditya Shukla (22), both residents of Lucknow (UP), were arrested in this case. Alok opened two bank accounts, and Aditya opened six, and sold them to fraudsters for commission. In another case, a man was defrauded of ₹1.81 lakh (approximately $1.81 lakh) by someone posing as an army officer on Facebook Marketplace. The accused, Hukum Singh Rawat, alias Anuj (19), was arrested in Lucknow. He is a second-year BA student and an aspiring influencer. He admitted selling his accounts to the cyber gang for a 4–5 percent commission.Â
According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, police apprehended the accused through technical surveillance and digital tracking. Police have recovered several bank accounts and digital evidence. Efforts are underway to freeze the accounts and locate the remaining gang members.