The Indian Express ·
Economy, business and finance
Non-banking financial firm duped of Rs 12.84 cr; bank staff among 5 held
The Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit on Wednesday said an interstate cybercrime syndicate, accused of siphoning off Rs 12.84 crore from the corporate bank account of Hero FinCorp Ltd, which offers loans facility, has been busted. Officers said it is suspected that the company’s internal server was hacked, following which around 317 unauthorised transactions were allegedly made by the fraudsters.
Five people, including a relationship manager of a private bank, have been arrested in connection with the case.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Gaurav Tyagi said the accused allegedly carried out 317 unauthorised digital transactions from the company’s account and routed the money to 34 primary-layer bank accounts. The transactions allegedly took place without the knowledge or consent of the company’s management.
“A case was registered on August 21 based on a complaint by Hero FinCorp Ltd, a non-banking financial company. An FIR was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 308 (for extortion), 318(4) (for cheating), 319 (for cheating by personation) and 340 (for forgery) at the Special Cell police station,” the officer said.
Officers said that during the probe, the IFSO unit analysed bank account details, mobile phone records and the flow of funds and managed to place a lien or hold on approximately Rs 1.7 crore, in various accounts, thereby preventing the further diversion of the money.
Raids were conducted at multiple locations across the country and subsequently arrested Abhay Kumar Solanki of Bulandshahr, Lovely of Kurukshetra, Naman Kumar of Jaipur, Harman of Bikaner and Vikas of Jaipur.
Police said Rs 60,000 was credited to Solanki’s bank account and later withdrawn through an ATM. Lovely allegedly operated an account in the name of Property Gallery at the Central Bank of India’s Thanesar branch, in which Rs 80 lakh was received. He had opened the account at the behest of one Satyam of Haryana’s Cheeka.
Naman allegedly operated accounts in the name of Infirmity Services at Yes Bank, Jaipur, and another IndusInd Bank account. Police said around Rs 40 lakh was credited to the Yes Bank account and around Rs 70 lakh to the IndusInd account. The second account, police said, was linked to 43 complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.
Investigators alleged that Naman’s IndusInd Bank account was operated by Harman who used an APK file. “Harman was allegedly in contact with several Chinese groups on Telegram and one Devender Singh Chauhan of Udaipur. Chauhan converted the proceeds of the crime into Tether, a cryptocurrency linked to US dollars, and transferred it to fraudsters based abroad,” the officer said.
Harman allegedly operated Naman account for a commission of around Rs 1.5 lakh from Chauhan, the officer added.
Vikas, a relationship manager with RBL Bank in Jaipur, allegedly assisted Naman in opening the bank accounts. He also reportedly introduced Naman to Harman.
Police said they recovered cheque books, five mobile phones and rubber stamps bearing the name of Property Gallery from the accused.
The investigation has revealed a “grave, well-organised and trans-state” network involved in cyber fraud and the systematic laundering of the proceeds of crime, police said. Suspects based in India and Dubai have also been identified and efforts are under way to arrest them.
The case is being investigated by a team led by Sub-Inspector Ankit and comprising personnel from the IFSO unit under the supervision of ACP Prem Chandra Khanduri and DCP Gaurav Tyagi.
Delhi Police, meanwhile, urged citizens to remain cautious about suspicious calls and messages, including those related to “digital arrest” scams, and to report them immediately to the authorities.
When The Indian Express reached out to Hero FinCorp Ltd, the firm declined to comment on the matter.