The Gurugram Cyber Police have uncovered an international cyber fraud module that supplied local bank accounts to a Dubai-based syndicate, leading to the arrest of six individuals. The arrests follow an investigation into a fake investment app scam that defrauded retired Air Marshal T.S. Chhatwal of ₹2.65 crore in January last year. According to police, the victim transferred a total of ₹2,65,55,000 across multiple accounts after being promised high returns, only to be asked for additional funds when attempting to withdraw his principal amount and profits. The Special Cyber Crime Branch of Sector 56 conducted the probe led by ACP Cyber Crime Gaurav Phogat.
Multi-State Police Raids Lead to Key Arrests
Investigators apprehended the prime suspects through targeted raids across Ghaziabad, Delhi, and Bahadurgarh. The arrested individuals have been identified as Sonu Chaudhary of Bhikampur village in Ghaziabad, Puneet Chaudhary, Vikas from Noida, Abhishek from Meerut, Dushyant Chaudhary from Bulandshahr, and Samrat Sibal from Uttam Nagar, Delhi. Police initially arrested Sonu in Ghaziabad, whose interrogation led to a raid on a flat in Omaxe City, Bahadurgarh, where Puneet, Vikas, Abhishek, and Dushyant were captured. Information provided by Puneet subsequently led to the arrest of Samrat Sibal from Uttam Nagar on Sunday.
Operational Setup inside Rented Flat
Police revealed that Puneet rented the Omaxe City flat for ₹17,000 per month to set up an operational base for registering fake firms, creating bank accounts, generating fake email IDs, and preparing fraudulent documents. He hired Abhishek Sharma, Vikas, and Dushyant Chaudhary on monthly salaries ranging between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000 to manage the documentation and open bank accounts in the names of various individuals and firms. Investigations showed that approximately ₹6 lakh of the defrauded amount was transferred into the account of a private firm managed by Sonu Chaudhary. Sonu had opened and supplied the firm’s bank account to Puneet for ₹60,000. Puneet and Samrat Sibal then routed these accounts to the Dubai-based cyber syndicate, earning a 5 percent commission on the defrauded proceeds.
Dubai Links and Inter-State Complaints
Puneet disclosed during questioning that he traveled to Dubai four times between 2023 and 2026, meeting a handler named Rudra to deliver details for over 200 compromised bank accounts. During the raid, officers seized three laptops, 16 mobile phones, 90 ATM cards, 42 chequebooks, rubber stamps of four companies, and a passport containing a Dubai visa. Police noted that most of the accused have completed 10th or 12th grade, while Abhishek holds a diploma in electrical engineering from Meerut. A check of the bank accounts revealed existing complaints across multiple states, including six in Rajasthan, two in Telangana, and two each in Jharkhand, Kerala, and Karnataka. All six suspects have been placed on two-day police remand as authorities analyze SIM card details to establish the total defrauded amount.
