KBC lottery scam busted in Assam, cops trace Rs 13.5 lakh fraud to Pak; 2 arrested

The Surat Cyber Crime Cell has uncovered a major international cyber fraud network with links to Pakistan and Assam, arresting two accused allegedly involved in a fake Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) lottery scam that duped a Surat resident of Rs 13.51 lakh.

The operation revealed that the fraud was allegedly being coordinated from Pakistan while local operatives in India facilitated the movement of money through bank accounts in Assam.

According to investigators, the victim received calls claiming that he had won a KBC lottery worth Rs 25 lakh. The fraudsters convinced him that he needed to pay various charges and fees to claim the prize money. Believing the claims to be genuine, the victim transferred a total of Rs 13,51,450 through multiple transactions.

After realising he had been cheated, he lodged a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Helpline number 1930, prompting the registration of a case at the Surat City Cyber Crime Police Station.

Acting on technical leads, a Surat Cyber Crime team travelled nearly 2,500 kilometres to Assam’s Nagaon district, around 140 kilometres from Guwahati. With assistance from local police and human intelligence inputs, the team conducted surveillance for seven to eight days before arresting two key suspects.

The arrested accused have been identified as 24-year-old Ejajul Haque, a resident of Kochgaon engaged in the fisheries business, and 27-year-old Muzaffar Ali, also from the same village. Investigators found that bank accounts opened in Haque’s name were allegedly used to receive fraud proceeds.

Police said Haque had provided his State Bank of India account to Muzaffar Ali for a one per cent commission, while Ali allegedly passed the account on to the main operators for a two per cent commission. The duo allegedly withdrew money through ATM and Paytm cards and transferred cash into other accounts as directed by the masterminds.

The cyber investigation revealed that the WhatsApp numbers used to contact the victim had Pakistani IP addresses. Authorities also found that all the bank accounts receiving the money were located in Assam. During the probe, police recovered a mobile phone from one of the accused and found chats allegedly linking him directly to a Pakistan-based handler identified as “Abdullah.” Investigators believe the racket was operated from Pakistan with support from local agents in India.

Police said the gang posed as KBC representatives on WhatsApp and used forged documents to gain victims’ trust. The fraudsters allegedly sent fake letterheads carrying the logos of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), State Bank of India (SBI), and the Ministry of Power, along with fabricated approval certificates on Rs 100 stamp paper and fake no-objection certificates.

They then demanded payments under various pretexts, including processing fees, GST and tax charges, RBI reserve fund fees, insurance charges, bank account activation fees, and lottery release order charges.

A review of records on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) showed that the network had targeted victims beyond Surat. Investigators found active complaints linked to the same accounts in Kutiyana Police Station in Gujarat’s Porbandar district and Bariyatu Police Station in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Preliminary findings suggest that the accounts were used to facilitate lottery frauds worth Rs 28,68,472 across the country.

Surat Cyber Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishakha Jain said the complainant had received two calls claiming he had won lotteries worth Rs 8.5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh through KBC. She said the victim was persuaded to transfer around Rs 13.5 lakh to different accounts under the guise of taxes and other charges.

Technical analysis later revealed that both calls originated from Pakistan and that the caller identified himself as Abdullah. Jain said the money was routed through multiple bank accounts in Assam, leading investigators to Ejajul Haque and later to Muzaffar Ali. She added that police found direct communication between Ali and Abdullah on the seized mobile phone and discovered that Ali allegedly deposited withdrawn cash into accounts specified by the Pakistan-based handler. Both arrested men belong to the same village and knew each other before the fraud operation, she said.

Police are continuing their investigation to identify and trace other members of the international cyber fraud network.

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