The Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch has dismantled an interstate fraud syndicate operating out of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and arrested two men accused of impersonating senior officials from the Ministry of Finance and the National Payments Corporation of India to cheat a citizen of about Rs 47 lakh in a high value insurance scam.
Forged Identities and a False Insurance Claim
The fraud was built around a false claim that Rs 10 lakh from an old LIC policy was lying pending in a government fund. Investigators identified the two suspects as 32-year-old Sumitkumar Koli and 27-year-old Ashu Agrawal.
Officials said the two men allegedly posed as high ranking functionaries, using names such as Jitendra Goswami, described as a senior NPCI officer, and Mitesh Kumar, described as a Ministry of Finance official. To reinforce the deception, they allegedly sent forged identity cards and official looking documents over WhatsApp, carrying government logos and technical terminology.
FCRF Academy Launches Premier Anti-Money Laundering Certification Program
How the Money Was Siphoned Off
The investigation found that the fraud was carried out in multiple stages. The victim was first persuaded to pay what were described as processing fees, stamp duties and GST to release the supposed insurance amount.
In a later and more intrusive phase of the scam, the victim was allegedly coerced into opening new bank accounts at ICICI and HDFC Bank and purchasing a new SIM card. Officials said the SIM card was then couriered to a location in Delhi, effectively giving the accused control over the victim’s mobile linked banking transactions. By receiving one time passwords on their own devices, the suspects were allegedly able to siphon off more than Rs 47 lakh while promising the victim an overall return of more than Rs 1.48 crore.
Arrests in Ghaziabad and Public Warning
The arrests were made after a coordinated operation led by ACP H.S. Makadia and PI M.H. Bhetariya, who used technical surveillance and human intelligence to trace the suspects to Modinagar in Ghaziabad. Officials said Sumit Kumar Koli had earlier worked as a telecaller in Noida based call centres and allegedly used his communication skills to manipulate victims.
Ashu Agrawal, according to the police, used his background as a SIM card distributor to provide illegal communication channels used in the fraud, often charging ten times the market rate for so called clean SIM cards issued in other people’s names. Following the arrests, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch issued a public advisory cautioning citizens against calls promising high returns on old insurance policies or maturity bonuses. Police also stressed that government officials would never seek taxes or fees through personal bank transfers or ask people to courier SIM cards.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
