Rs 1.19 Lakh cyber fraud racket busted in Delhi; four posing as Axis Bank officials arrested

New Delhi: The Delhi Police have busted a cyber fraud racket involving impersonation as Axis Bank customer-care officials and arrested four people in connection with a Rs 1.19 lakh fraud case, officials said on Thursday.

According to police, the accused posed as bank officials and cheated a credit-card holder on the pretext of cancelling a fictitious annual maintenance charge plan and issuing a new credit card. The fraudsters allegedly used virtual phone numbers, fake service-request details and a third-party payment application to gain the victim’s confidence.

The accused siphoned off Rs 1,19,837 through multiple UPI transactions routed through the CheQ application. Eight mobile phones were also recovered, while technical analysis of one of the devices reportedly linked it to 32 other complaints.

The case came to light after complainant Yash Sharma received a call on July 16 from a person allegedly posing as an Axis Bank credit-card official. The caller informed him about an AMC charge of Rs 2,499 and, when Sharma sought its cancellation, told him that he would receive a call from the bank’s customer-care department.

He subsequently received another call from a number allegedly used to impersonate Axis Bank customer care. The caller induced him to download the CheQ application, claiming it was required to cancel the AMC plan and issue a new credit card.

The victim was allegedly directed to make three UPI payments of Rs 2,538.81, Rs 58,647.68 and Rs 58,647.68, totalling Rs 1,19,834.17. Police said the accused also provided a fake service-request number and assured the victim that his new card would be activated within four hours and delivered within two days.

After the card did not arrive, the victim contacted genuine Axis Bank customer care on July 17 and was informed that no such request existed. He blocked his card and reported the matter through the Cyber Crime Portal. An e-FIR was subsequently registered at PS Cyber North under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

A dedicated team under the supervision of DCP North District Niharika Bhatt conducted technical and financial analysis of call-detail records, mobile numbers, Google account data, UPI transactions and beneficiary bank accounts.

The investigation traced the transaction trail to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account linked to Prince Kumar. Police said the account showed suspicious transactions exceeding Rs 12 lakh within five to seven days.

Prince Kumar, 20, was arrested from Aligarh on September 15. His interrogation led police to Vishal Tomar, 21, and Vishal Raghav, 27, both from Aligarh. Sanjay Verma, 40, of Uttam Nagar, was subsequently arrested.

Police said Verma had previously worked at a call centre in Noida and allegedly learned the modus operandi of impersonating bank officials. Investigators suspect the accused used the “Indy Number” application to generate virtual numbers resembling bank customer-care numbers and used CheQ to route the allegedly fraudulent funds.

Police said the network involved multiple roles, including arranging bank accounts, procuring SIM cards and withdrawing money through ATMs for commissions. The search for two other alleged associates, Bobby and Avtar, is underway.

Further investigation is being conducted to trace the complete financial trail, identify additional victims and establish the role of other members of the alleged network.

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