Punjab Police Busts Cyber Fraud Ring Operating from West Bengal
Chandigarh, August 21
In a major crackdown on cybercrime, Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division has arrested three individuals from West Bengal involved in a large-scale financial scam. This operation aligns with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s vision of making Punjab a safe and secure state.
Key Points:
- Three cybercriminals, Shovon Saha, Abishek Kumar Singh, and Parveen Kumar Rai, were apprehended.
- The gang targeted a Mohali-based realtor, duping his company of ₹49.60 lakh through a WhatsApp impersonation scheme.
- Two of the arrested were Flipkart employees who rented their bank accounts to the fraudsters for a commission.
- Police recovered mobile phones, a laptop, and ₹30,900 from their possession.
- ₹5.22 lakh has been frozen across 44 bank accounts linked to the scam.
- The investigation continues, with more arrests expected. see this link also….Punjab Secures Major Investments from Leading Companies
Operation Details:
- The fraud was reported after a 12-hour delay.
- Police traced the money trail through WhatsApp accounts, bank details, and mobile numbers used by the criminals.
- Collaboration with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and West Bengal authorities led to the arrests.
- Open-source intelligence techniques and bank assistance were crucial in identifying the accused.
Prevention Tips:
- Verify social media user identities before transactions.
- Double-check account holders before money transfers.
- Avoid online payments promising high returns.
- Don’t click suspicious links or download unknown files.
- Never share banking details on any application.
- Be wary of links offering discounts or prizes.
- Use unique passwords and change them regularly.
- Report online fraud immediately to Helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in to minimize losses.
Additional Information:
- Over 100 cybercrime cases have been registered across Punjab in the past two months.
- Punjab Police has frozen ₹23.46 crore in suspect accounts related to cyber fraud.
