The Cyber Police Station of Delhi’s South District has busted an alleged organised cyber fraud racket operating under the guise of credit card replacement and arrested a serving and a former employee of a private bank. According to the investigation, the accused allegedly misused the bank’s internal processes and customers’ confidential data to issue replacement credit cards without the knowledge of genuine cardholders. After activating the cards, they allegedly utilised the entire available credit limit to purchase expensive consumer goods. Police have seized cash, fraudulently issued credit cards, mobile phones and a large quantity of electronic appliances from the accused.
According to police, the arrested accused have been identified as 33-year-old Mukesh, a resident of Ghaziabad, and 34-year-old Anil Kumar, a resident of Uttam Nagar in Delhi. Preliminary investigation revealed that both men possessed detailed knowledge of the bank’s card issuance procedures and customer verification systems. Investigators allege that they exploited this knowledge to fraudulently obtain replacement credit cards without informing the original cardholders and subsequently exhausted the available credit limits.
During the investigation, police recovered ₹715,000 in cash, eight fraudulently issued credit cards in the names of customers, seven mobile phones and 16 electronic household appliances from the accused. The seized items include LED televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens, induction cooktops, mixer grinders, steam irons and voltage stabilisers. Purchase invoices, CCTV footage and other digital evidence have also been seized and sent for forensic examination.
Investigators are now trying to determine how many customers were allegedly targeted by the network, how many replacement credit cards were fraudulently issued and the total financial loss caused by the operation. Police are analysing the accused’s banking records, digital devices, call detail records, financial transactions and other electronic evidence. Authorities are also examining whether additional individuals associated with the bank or other organisations were involved in the alleged racket.
The investigation is also focused on establishing how customers’ personal and financial information became accessible to the accused and whether the same data was used in other cyber fraud cases. Information recovered from digital devices is being analysed to identify additional members of the network and trace financial transactions linked to the operation.
The arrests come shortly after Delhi Police uncovered another major cybercrime case involving an alleged mule bank account syndicate reportedly operated with the collusion of certain bank officials. In that case, six accused were arrested, and investigators traced transactions exceeding ₹700 million through 248 bank accounts. The accounts were allegedly linked to 156 cyber fraud complaints registered across the country involving financial losses of nearly ₹200 million.
Renowned cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh said cybercrimes involving insiders with access to banking systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. He noted that technological safeguards alone are insufficient and emphasised the need for continuous employee monitoring, restricted access to sensitive customer data, multi-factor authentication and real-time fraud detection systems. He also advised customers to regularly monitor their bank accounts and credit card statements and immediately report any unauthorised transactions to their bank and the national cybercrime reporting portal. Police said the investigation is continuing and further arrests and legal action may follow based on the evidence collected.
