Cyber criminals in Kanpur allegedly trapped a school owner couple by promising them a 30% commission from a political fund and used their bank accounts to route ₹1.90 crore of cyber fraud proceeds. The fraud came to light after a notice from Bengaluru Police reached the couple’s residence. During the investigation, it was found that 29 cybercrime complaints linked to their bank accounts were registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Police have arrested four accused, while the alleged mastermind of the gang, Noman Farooqui, is still absconding.
According to police, school owner Akhilesh Gupta and his wife Anjali Gupta, residents of Damodar Nagar, came in contact with Noman Farooqui, a resident of Banda, in March through their acquaintance Kishore. The accused allegedly told the couple that around ₹5 crore in political funding would be deposited into the bank accounts of their two institutions. In return, they were promised a 30% commission. Attracted by the prospect of earning easy money, the couple allegedly agreed and provided access to their accounts.
During the investigation, police found that Noman allegedly made the couple download a suspicious application on their mobile phones and gained remote access to their devices. He also allegedly took control of their SIM cards, allowing him to monitor banking communications and other mobile activities.
Police said the couple was kept at a hotel in Lucknow from March 8 to March 14. Later, on April 23, they were taken to Siliguri, where they were allegedly kept at a hotel for around ten days. During this period, their bank accounts were allegedly used for receiving and transferring money linked to cyber fraud cases.
The investigation revealed that ₹1.15 crore was credited into the couple’s ICICI Bank account, while ₹75 lakh was received in their Bandhan Bank account. A total amount of ₹1.90 crore was allegedly routed through their accounts. Police said the fraud money was transferred to multiple accounts and moved out of the banking system within four to five days.
After receiving information about the suspicious transactions, the couple approached the police and lodged a complaint. The cyber team began a technical investigation and traced mobile locations and other digital evidence. Based on these findings, police arrested Abi Wakash and Mangal Singh from Lucknow. Following information obtained during interrogation, two more accused — Brijendra Yadav from Mainpuri and Rahul Sharma from Etawah — were arrested.
Police recovered six mobile phones, cheque books of six different banks, four passbooks, four ATM cards, one tax invoice book and a WagonR car from the accused. The seized digital devices and documents are being examined to identify other members involved in the network.
According to police, the main operator of the cyber fraud network is Noman Farooqui, who is currently on the run. Investigators have found that around 12 to 15 people may be involved in the gang. The network is believed to be spread across Kolkata, Siliguri and other cities. Police have also found indications of possible links between the gang and Cambodia, which are being investigated further.
Cyber experts said criminals are increasingly using bank accounts of ordinary people as “mule accounts” to move stolen money. In such cases, account holders may also come under legal scrutiny if their accounts are used for suspicious transactions. Experts advised people not to share bank account details, mobile access, OTPs or digital information with unknown persons on the promise of commissions or financial benefits.
Police said the search for the absconding mastermind is underway. Investigators are analysing banking trails, digital evidence and interrogation reports of arrested accused to identify other members of the gang and uncover the complete network behind the fraud.
