B’luru cops bust fraud ring after TN police alert

Bengaluru: A tip-off from Chennai’s cybercrime unit helped the Bengaluru police uncover a meticulously coordinated cybercriminal network operating across the country, with the alleged masterminds said to be hiding in Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

According to senior police officers, the breakthrough came when Chennai investigators, probing an unrelated cybercrime case, alerted Southeast Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sara Fathiema about a possible victim in Bengaluru, who was defrauded of Rs 4.75 crore.

The investigation, headed by the Southeast CEN division, has led to the arrest of two persons.

Eshwar Singh, a self-confessed casino enthusiast, and Ramnarayan Chowdhary, a Hyderabad-based businessman, are both accused of acting as “money mules” for the syndicate.

“When we visited the residence in BTM Layout, we found a retired engineer and his wife had been under what we call ‘digital arrest’ for three months,” a senior officer told DH.

“They were unaware they were being manipulated and had lost Rs 4.75 crore.”

Following the discovery, the Bengaluru police issued a notice to a Hyderabad resident whose bank account had received Rs 10 lakh from the defrauded couple. During questioning, the man claimed he had accepted the money on behalf of his landlord, Eshwar Singh.

A police team was immediately dispatched to Hyderabad, only to learn Singh had flown to Sri Lanka. He was detained upon his return at Hyderabad airport and brought to Bengaluru. However, the investigation took an unexpected turn.

Singh claimed the funds were a refund from a Sri Lankan casino and denied any involvement in cybercrime.

Police later confirmed that Singh had visited the casino 33 times in recent months. On one visit, he purchased Rs 25 lakh worth of casino coupons, losing Rs 15 lakh.

He later requested a refund for the remaining coupons and, due to tax filing irregularities, asked the casino to transfer the money to his tenant’s account. The casino, where he was a known customer, complied.

“We suspect the cybercriminals who defrauded the elderly couple instructed them to transfer the funds to the same account Singh had provided to the casino,” the officer said.

“This suggests a link between the online fraud and operations in Sri Lanka.”

Singh, upon realising the criminal nature of the funds, contacted the casino — only to be warned it was a cross-border matter beyond the reach of Indian authorities.

Police are now investigating the possibility of the casino itself having ties to international cybercrime syndicates, especially with Cambodia, as the investigation reveals some roots in the latter country.

Further inquiries revealed that Ramnarayan Chowdhary, who runs a departmental store in Hyderabad, also received money from the defrauded couple. Investigators believe cybercriminals befriended him through regular purchases before exploiting his bank accounts to launder proceeds from victims across the country.

The case continues to unfold, with police probing financial and digital links spanning India, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia.

Eshwar Singh was earlier arrested by Customs following his frequent visits to Sri Lanka.

He was let go after he revealed that he was visiting the country to play in casinos.