8th pass out arrested for operating cyber fraud gang in Fatehpur

Prayagraj: A 19-year-old youth who didn’t study beyond Class VIII pulled off at least a dozen cyber fraud cases successfully. It further came to light during the police investigation that the accused, identified as Direndra, a resident of Narayanpur Mazre Kalana in Fatehpur, who was arrested by Jahanabad police on Sunday night, often impersonated a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer and tricked people on the pretext of catching them viewing or possessing explicit content.The scammer then extorted the victims for money to “settle” the cases and avoid public humiliation or arrest. The fraudster was expert in gaining unauthorised access to people’s devices or internet activity.He contacted unknown people in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi etc, claiming to be from the CBI, a cybercrime cell, or local police and threatened to leak videos, expose their activity to their family, or make an official arrest unless a hefty “fine” or “bribe” was paid.The accused along with his accomplices was using various mobile numbers to verify unknown numbers on Truecaller. Once the mobile holder’s name was revealed, they would make WhatsApp voice calls posing as CBI officers. They would intimidate the victim by claiming that the victim had watched obscene films on pornographic websites via Google Chrome and that a case would be filed against them, leading to their arrest and imprisonment.

To further intimidate the victim, they would send videos showing police personnel beating someone. To gain the person’s trust, they would have another member of their group speak to the victim, posing as a senior officer, and would use the police logo as their WhatsApp display picture (DP). After ensnaring the person, they would send QR codes linked to various accounts or online games to have money transferred to those accounts.

Similarly, when one of the complainants from Mumbai was contacted, he stated that he had been defrauded of Rs 28,540 via mobile number and the accused had intimidated him by claiming a complaint had been filed against him for watching obscene films on his mobile. However, this time Dhirendra was unsuccessful.Dhirendra confessed that he and his associates — all residents of Village Narayanpur (hamlet of Kalana) in Fatehpur are duping people to fund their expensive habits and support their families.

To further instill fear, they send WhatsApp videos showing police brutality. They then trick the victims into transferring money by sending QR codes linked to various bank accounts or online ‘Aviator’ games. Under the game’s rules, 30% of the transferred amount is wagered in the game, while the remainder is moved to the accused’s own accounts via digital wallets.

Finally, the funds are routed through various other accounts before being withdrawn as cash from ATMs. The accused delete the QR codes they had sent from their mobile phones.Police are looking for Dhirendra’s accomplices including Sandeep (25), Sonu alias Rocky (20) , Rudra alias Chhotu and Aman (19).Police also said that Rudra has completed ITI training and is now the kingpin of racket.