Drumbeats, seals, warning: Meerut cops attach Rs 2.5 crore assets linked to scamster

What began as clicks behind computer and mobile screens ended with drums beating on the streets of Meerut. In a dramatic crackdown on cyber crime, police attached properties worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore allegedly built with money siphoned through online fraud, sending a strong message that the proceeds of cyber scams will not remain beyond the reach of law.

Acting on the orders of the Meerut District Magistrate, the Lohia Nagar Police carried out the operation under the supervision of the Senior Superintendent of Police, with senior city police officers leading the action. The crackdown targeted Alauddin, a resident of Zakir Hussain Colony.

According to police, Alauddin amassed huge wealth through cyber fraud and used the illegal proceeds to purchase multiple plots in Bajot village and construct a residential house in Meerut. Investigators say the properties were acquired entirely from money generated through online financial crimes.

Under Section 14(1) of the Gangster Act, authorities attached four plots in Bajot village along with a residential plot and a pucca house in Meerut Residency Colony. Officials said the properties have a circle rate value of around Rs 98.04 lakh, while their current market value is estimated at nearly Rs 2.50 crore.

The operation unfolded in full public view as police and revenue officials conducted a drum-beating proclamation through the locality before pasting seizure notices and sealing the properties in accordance with legal procedures.

Police said Alauddin has seven criminal cases registered against him in Meerut, Ayodhya and Rajasthan, including charges of cyber fraud, cheating, offences under the Information Technology Act and the Gangster Act. Officials said the attachment is part of an intensified drive to dismantle the financial networks of organised cyber criminals by targeting assets allegedly acquired through illegal earnings.

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with inputs from Mohd Usman Chowdhary