The North District Police on Monday busted a massive online fraud syndicate linked to transactions exceeding Rs 30 crore following an investigation into an Instagram shopping scam where a Delhi University student was cheated of Rs 6,450. Seven members of the gang were arrested after a widespread operation spanning over 2,000 kilometres, leading to raids in Greater Noida and Kanpur. Investigators revealed that the syndicate set up 25 bank accounts under fake firms and individual identities to route proceeds generated from cyber fraud, with total credit transactions surpassing Rs 30 crore across these suspicious accounts. To date, at least 27 cyber fraud complaints across the country have been linked directly to this network.
Technical Surveillance and Cross-State Raids Lead to Arrests
The probe began after the university student lodged a formal complaint stating she had been defrauded while trying to buy a kurti through an advertisement displayed on Instagram. Taking up the lead, investigators launched an extensive technical analysis involving nearly 200 mobile numbers and their corresponding IMEI footprints. The technical trail prompted police teams to conduct coordinated raids across Greater Noida and Kanpur. The seven arrested suspects have been identified as Aditya Mishra, Ayush Verma, Abhishek Pal, Himanshu Rana, Rahul Kumar, Gaurav Pandey, and Udit Pratap Singh Bhadauria.
MBA Graduate Managed Syndicate Operations and Mule Accounts
Investigators identified Gaurav Pandey, an MBA graduate, as the central operational figure within the criminal network. Pandey was allegedly responsible for supplying active bank accounts to cyber fraudsters on a commission basis. To maintain a steady supply of accounts, he provided monthly incentives of Rs 25,000 to his associates for opening current and savings accounts. The syndicate operated by renting physical premises, registering fraudulent shell entities, and preparing fabricated documentation to satisfy banking procedures. Account kits and activated SIM cards were gathered by Himanshu Rana and Rahul Kumar before being routed through Pandey to entities identified as Maxwell and Solitaire.
Large Cache of POS Terminals, SIM Cards, and Digital Evidence Seized
During the raids, police recovered a substantial amount of equipment used to run the illicit financial operation. The seized inventory includes 20 mobile phones, 45 SIM cards, 39 POS machines, 33 debit cards, 28 cheque books, 15 scanners, two laptops, and numerous banking documents. Raids in Greater Noida also exposed three suspicious firms linked to the syndicate. Police officials stated that forensic and financial analysis of the recovered evidence is currently underway to uncover further links with pending cyber fraud cases across the country.
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