Udham Singh Nagar police bust cyber fraud network running under guise of call centre

RUDRAPUR: Udham Singh Nagar district police have arrested members of a gang involved in running a cyber fraud network under the guise of a call centre.
The police officials claimed that it was the first such incident in the state. The accused have been identified as Salim Khan, 44, and his wife, Ashi Khan, who were implicated in the cyber fraud activities.Later, the police arrested three others, identified as Vijay Ram, 28, Lokesh alias Jatin, 27, and Rahul Kumar, 28, all residents of Delhi.
The operation was initiated following a complaint lodged by Khim Singh Mehta, a resident of Shantipuri No. 2 police station area in Pant Nagar, Udham Singh Nagar. Mehta fell victim to a cyber fraud amounting to Rs 6.5 lakh. The police registered a case under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66 (D) of the IT Act.
District's senior superintendent of police (SSP) constituted six teams which conducted surveillance and meticulously planned raids across Delhi, leading to the arrest of key suspects. Divulging the information, SP (city) Chandrashekhar Ghodke said, "During the operation, police raided a location on Rama Road, Najafgarh Industrial Area in Delhi, which revealed the existence of Manava Business Management Private Limited. The company's owner, Salim Khan and his wife, Ashi Khan, were implicated in the cyber fraud activities. Subsequently, the police arrested Vijay Ram, Lokesh alias Jatin and Rahul Kumar."
"The confiscated items included a large number of base phones, SIM cards, mobile phones, and WiFi devices used for the fraudulent activities. The preliminary investigation has revealed that the gang perpetrated scams amounting to crores of rupees across multiple states in India. The accused Salim Khan confessed that he and his wife orchestrated cyber frauds nationwide with the assistance of their employees. We are now intensively searching for other suspects involved in the network, namely Arsi Khan, Manoj, Ravi, Pravesh Chauhan, and Chandan Kumar Jha," Ghodke further said.
As per their modus operandi, the couple, along with their employees, operated under the guise of a legitimate company.
Pravesh Chauhan provided customer data, while Chandan Kumar Jha supplied fake SIM cards. Manoj's residence served as the collection point for the illicit funds, which were later withdrawn from various ATMs by Rahul.