Police have busted an interstate cyber fraud racket in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district following a joint operation by the Cyber Crime Cell, Muhammadabad Gohna Police, and Kotwali Police. Three accused from Jharkhand have been arrested, while two juveniles have been taken into custody. Investigators allege that the gang used stolen mobile phones to commit UPI-based cyber fraud. Police claim the arrested suspects were also involved in a ₹6 lakh cyber fraud reported in the Muhammadabad Gohna area about two months ago. Authorities are now expanding the investigation to identify the full extent of the network using digital evidence recovered during the operation.
According to police, the operation was carried out as part of a special drive against cybercriminals. During a vehicle-checking campaign on Saturday, officers received intelligence that members of an interstate cyber fraud gang had gathered near the Ramlila Railway Ground in the Kotwali area and were allegedly preparing to commit another offence. Acting on the tip-off, teams from the Cyber Crime Cell, Muhammadabad Gohna Police, and Kotwali Police surrounded the location and apprehended the suspects.
During the raid, police arrested three residents of Jharkhand and took two juveniles into protective custody. The arrested accused have been identified as Sudama Mahto, Raju Sharma, and Chhotu Kumar Sah, all residents of the Taljhari police station area in Sahibganj district, Jharkhand. Police said the trio had been absconding in connection with an earlier cyber fraud case, and multiple raids had been conducted at suspected hideouts before they were finally traced and arrested.
Police recovered 23 mobile phones from the accused. Preliminary investigation revealed that 17 of the recovered phones had been stolen from different locations. The seized mobile phones, SIM cards, and other digital devices have been sent for forensic examination. Investigators are analysing UPI transaction records, banking data, contact lists, chat histories, call records, and other electronic evidence to identify additional members of the network and establish the full scale of its operations.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they targeted crowded markets, railway stations, and other public places to steal mobile phones. They then removed the SIM cards or used the banking facilities available on the stolen devices to create new UPI IDs through QR code-based registration. The accounts were allegedly used to carry out unauthorised financial transactions from victims’ bank accounts. Police further claimed that some of the stolen mobile phones were transported to Jharkhand and sold to other cybercriminals, allowing the wider network to continue carrying out digital fraud.
Investigators also allege that the arrested suspects were involved in a cyber fraud case involving nearly ₹6 lakh reported in the Muhammadabad Gohna police station area in June. Police are now examining whether the gang committed similar offences in other districts of Uttar Pradesh or in neighbouring states. Investigators are tracing banking trails, digital payment records, and mobile data to establish links with additional cybercrime cases and identify other individuals associated with the racket.
According to renowned cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh, mobile phone theft has evolved beyond a conventional property crime because stolen devices often provide criminals with access to banking applications, digital wallets, and personal financial information. He advised the public to immediately block their SIM cards, disable UPI and mobile banking services linked to the stolen device, and report the incident without delay through the National Cyber Helpline 1930 and the Cyber Crime Portal. Police said the arrested accused have been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody, while the investigation into the remaining members of the interstate cyber fraud network and its financial operations is continuing.
