Police arrest 3 cybercriminals in Bhagalpur

Bhagalpur: In a major breakthrough against cybercrime, the cyber cell of Bhagalpur district police has busted an interstate gang involved in duping people by posing as intelligence and police officials and placing victims under so-called “digital arrest”.Three persons were arrested in connection with a Rs 18-lakh fraud involving a married woman and her husband, whom the accused allegedly threatened with legal action by falsely accusing them of money laundering. Police said the gang targeted gullible victims, including elderly people.The arrested accused are Avinash Kumar, 23, from Hassanpur Surat locality under Shahpur Patori police station in Samastipur district; Tarakant, 50, from Makandpur locality under Mahua police station in Vaishali district; and Durganand Mishra, 45, from Lavrana Indrapuri locality under Patliputra police station in Patna district. Laptops, mobile phones, ATM cards, cash and related equipment were seized from their possession.Police sources said the accused were part of an organised interstate network operating across several districts of Bihar and other states, and their possible links with international cyber fraud gangs were being probed. The trio is suspected to be involved in cyber frauds worth around Rs 65 lakh in recent months.Cyber cell DSP and in-charge of the cyber police station, Kanishk Srivastava, said, “The three arrested cybercriminals are part of an interstate cyber fraudsters’ gang. We are investigating their links with suspected international gangs of cybercriminals and fraudsters.”