1. Case Brief
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttarakhand, in technical collaboration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, apprehended the mastermind behind a ₹3.20 crore cyber fraud. The accused, operating from Nathupur in Gurgaon, Haryana, used forged identities and fake banking credentials to defraud a Tehri Garhwal-based complainant through impersonation and deception.
The victim had filed a complaint in May 2025 after receiving a suspicious WhatsApp message from a person claiming to be the company’s Managing Director. The scammer demanded an advance payment of ₹1.95 crore for a fictitious project and ultimately siphoned off ₹3.20 crore through multiple bank accounts.
2. Modus Operandi
The accused would impersonate high-ranking officials such as Managing Directors of reputed companies and contact victims via WhatsApp, introducing fake corporate projects requiring urgent financial transactions. Through convincing fake documents, bank account details, and identity cards, they created a false sense of legitimacy.
Once the victim was convinced, the scammer demanded large sums as part of advance payments or project-related costs. In this case, the accused convinced the complainant to transfer ₹3.20 crore into several accounts linked to fake entities, including “Shyam Trading Company.”
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3. Arrest and Seizure
The STF team apprehended the prime accused from Nathupur, Gurugram. Upon arrest, several incriminating items were recovered from his possession:
- 09 Cheque books
- 05 Bank passbooks
- 02 PAN cards and 02 ATM cards
- 03 POS swipe machines, 01 QR code scanner, 01 fingerprint scanner
- 01 Dell laptop, 02 Jio routers, 01 OnePlus mobile
- Forged Aadhaar, PAN cards, partnership deeds, bank account opening forms
- Transaction slips and fake loan application documents
A co-accused had already been arrested earlier from West Bengal in the same case.
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4. Team Led By
The operation was spearheaded by SSP STF Navneet Singh under the guidance of DGP Uttarakhand, Shri Deepam Seth. The investigating officer was Inspector Tribhuwan Rautela, assisted by SI Rahul Kapri, HC Pawan Kumar, and Constable Ketan Bisht.
The STF also acknowledged the vital technical support provided by I4C officials including CEO Dr. Rajesh Kumar (IPS), Director IG Rupa M (IPS), DCP Rashmi Sharma Yadav, and Deputy Director Akhilesh Gaur.
5. Name of Police Station
The investigation and arrest were executed by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
About the Author – Anirudh Mittal is a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, with a keen interest in corporate law and tech-driven legal change.