Six cybercons held in Lucknow raid, ₹1.56 crore seized
Police arrested six cybercriminals in Lucknow, recovering ₹26 lakh and digital currency worth ₹1.30 crore, linked to fraud of nearly ₹14.80 crore.
Police in the state capital busted a gang of cybercriminals and arrested six people in an operation carried out in the BBD police station area on Friday.
Those arrested include Mushir Ahmed (26), Anwar Ahmed (28), Arshad Ali (28) from Bahraich; Riku (19) from Barabanki; and Lucknow residents Amit Kumar Jaiswal (44) and Arjun Bhargava (47).
An FIR has been registered under sections of the BNS and IT Act at BBD police station.
The joint team of DCP East’s Crime/Surveillance Unit and BBD police recovered ₹26 lakh, digital currency worth ₹1.30 crore, fake IDs, mobile phones, and vehicles used in the crime, a police department release on Friday read.
Investigators said the gang cheated people across several states by running mule accounts, with fraud worth nearly ₹14.80 crore already traced to them. So far, 21 complaints have been registered against the accused on the national cybercrime portal.
According to police officials, the accused lured innocent people into opening bank accounts and then took full control of these accounts. Money earned from phishing, digital arrest, and other cyber frauds was deposited into these accounts. The accused withdrew the cash, converted part of it into forex-based digital currency through brokers, and then sold it at market rates for profit.
The breakthrough came when a police team, engaged in crime prevention checks near Kisan Path, received a tip-off that several men were sitting inside a house built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme and were discussing ways to open fake mule accounts for cyber fraud. Acting quickly, the joint team raided the spot and nabbed the accused red-handed.
From the house, police recovered ₹26 lakh and digital currency valued at ₹1,30,87,012.73. They also seized 16 cheque books of mule accounts, 15 ATM cards of different banks, 9 Android phones, 1 laptop, 3 PAN cards, 2 Aadhaar cards, and 1 election card. Two vehicles used in the crime, including a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler were also impounded.
