New Delhi: Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit busted an international cyber fraud syndicate with links to Cambodia and southeast Asia, arresting 11 people and securing Rs 7.25 crore in a digital arrest case. Police put a hold on ₹1.96 crore linked to ongoing fraud investigations.DCP (IFSO) Gaurav Tyagi said, “The syndicate allegedly impersonated law-enforcement officers to intimidate victims into transferring money and used mule bank accounts to route proceeds of cybercrime. An investigation into a complaint by Pradeep Kumar Das, 69, a retired Scientist and former director in the ministry of electronics and information technology, revealed the network.”On Aug 14, Das received a call from persons posing as police and NIA officers. They claimed that his Aadhaar details had been misused in a money laundering case. Under the pretext of verifying his funds, the accused induced him to transfer Rs 1.25 crore through RTGS to three bank accounts while maintaining continuous video contact. An FIR was registered at the Special Cell police station.Five accused were arrested in Dwarka after police traced a fraudulent operation. The accused used a bank account and an app called to forward OTPs and Telegram messages to overseas associates.The accused were identified as Md Mahfuzar Rahman, Izhar Alam, Altaf Hussain, Intekhab and Anish Khan. They were allegedly operating the bank account to facilitate cyber fraud transactions.Police said six other accused were arrested in connection with the case involving Das. They were identified as Neeraj Kumar Mittal, Kanwar Pal, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir, Prabhat Rai alias Ashutosh and Anil Sagu alias Krishna.The investigation has also helped police trace links to cyber fraud cases registered in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.Police seized six mobile phones containing chats and cryptocurrency transaction records, along with a cheque book linked to the bank account under investigation.
