Two held from Gujarat's Surat in Rs 1.12 crore cyber fraud case

Faridabad: Two persons have been arrested from Gujarat's Surat in connection with an alleged cyber fraud case involving over Rs 1 crore, a Faridabad police spokesperson said on Saturday.

Police said the accused -- 29-year-old Ajit and 23-year-old Vivek -- lured people in the name of investing in the stock market through fake apps and social media groups.

During the operation, police recovered 86 blank cheques, 10 passbooks, 15 debit cards and five mobile phones from the accused, officials said.

A resident of Baselwa Colony in Faridabad had lodged a complaint alleging that he was added to a WhatsApp group where investment tips were shared. He was then asked to download two mobile applications and invest in the stock market, police said.

The complainant invested Rs 1,12,89,135 through multiple transactions but was unable to withdraw the amount, prompting the registration of a case at the Cyber Police Station (Central) under relevant sections, they said.

Based on technical surveillance, the cyber team tracked down and arrested the two accused, residents of Surat, Gujarat on Friday, officials said.

“During interrogation, it was revealed that Ajit had sold his bank account to Vivek for a commission. Vivek used to withdraw the fraudulently obtained funds and transfer them to other handlers via USDT (a cryptocurrency),” the spokesperson said.

Around Rs 10 lakh of the defrauded money was traced to Ajit’s account. The two accused have been remanded in five-day police custody for further questioning, the spokesperson added.