Ludhiana. Cyber crime police in Ludhiana have arrested the second accused, Manwinder Singh alias Mani, in connection with a ₹2.45 crore cyber fraud case.
He is alleged to have received a portion of the fraudulently obtained money in his bank accounts and helped transfer the funds further. A court has remanded him in police custody for two days. Police had earlier arrested another accused, Manvendra Singh, from Jodhpur in Rajasthan in connection with the case.
According to the police, the fraud was carried out by targeting a manager of a company. The accused allegedly used the company owner’s photograph to create a false identity and subsequently contacted the manager while posing as the owner.
The fraudsters allegedly told the manager that the company was planning to conduct business with another company. Using this pretext, they gained his confidence and allegedly induced him to transfer around ₹2.45 crore. The fraud came to light after the money was transferred, following which a complaint was filed and an investigation was launched.
During the investigation, police found indications of Manwinder Singh’s alleged involvement in the movement of the fraudulent funds. He allegedly allowed his bank accounts to be used to receive a portion of the money obtained through the fraud. The funds were subsequently suspected to have been transferred to other accounts. Investigators are now examining how much money reached his accounts and where it was transferred thereafter.
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Manwinder Singh was arrested on Tuesday and produced before a court, which sent him to two days of police custody. Investigators are questioning him about his bank accounts, mobile phone, digital transactions and contacts. The police are also attempting to trace the complete flow of the defrauded money and identify other people allegedly involved in the network.
Earlier, police arrested Manvendra Singh from Jodhpur in Rajasthan in connection with the case. Financial and digital leads emerging from the investigation were subsequently examined to establish the role of other suspects. Police suspect that the fraudulently obtained money may have been moved through multiple bank accounts to make it difficult to identify the ultimate beneficiaries.
So far, around ₹24 lakh of the defrauded amount has been recovered or returned to the victim. The amount remains substantially lower than the total ₹2.45 crore allegedly lost in the fraud. Police are examining bank accounts and digital transactions to trace the remaining funds.
The alleged use of a fake identity is also a key part of the investigation. By using the company owner’s photograph, the accused allegedly attempted to establish credibility with the manager before persuading him to transfer the money under the pretext of a business transaction. Investigators are examining how the impersonation was carried out and what digital means were used to contact and influence the victim.
Police are now investigating the roles of the arrested accused, their contacts and the wider banking network allegedly used in the fraud. Raids are being conducted to apprehend other suspects, while digital evidence is being examined to establish the movement of the money and determine the individual role of each person allegedly connected with the case.
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