The Patna Police has dismantled a massive cyber-fraud network that was cheating people under the name of providing business franchises. Operating from three different locations in the city, this gang was running fake call centers to dupe cyber cafe owners and IRCTC agents. During a raid late Monday night, police arrested 22 people, including 15 women, who were part of this operation. The gang has reportedly swindled more than Rs 2 crore from victims across the country in just the last one year.
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How was the gang targeting IRCTC agents?
The investigation led by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and local police revealed a smart but illegal method of operation. The fraudsters used login credentials of a registered IRCTC agent to access the official portal. From there, they scraped contact details of other agents and cyber cafe owners.
Once they had the data, the employees at these call centers would make phone calls offering lucrative business deals. They promised franchises for Aadhaar Correction Centers, PM-Kisan schemes, and hotel bookings. Victims were asked to pay a registration fee to start the work, and once the money was transferred, the contact was cut off.
What did police find during the raids?
The raids were conducted at Vednagar in Rupaspur, Lakhankutir in Danapur, and Saubhagya Sharma Path near RPS Mor. The police recovered a large amount of electronic equipment used to run these centers.
- Electronic Devices: 19 laptops, 1 desktop computer, and 53 mobile phones were seized.
- Banking Material: 12 ATM cards used for transactions were found.
- Staff Details: The arrested women stated they were hired on monthly salaries of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 and believed they were working for a genuine company.
Who are the masterminds behind this scam?
While 22 workers have been sent to jail, the main leaders of the gang managed to escape before the police arrived. The identified masterminds include Akash Kumar, Dharmendra, Anjani Singh, and Dheeraj, who are residents of Digha and Sonpur.
Police teams are currently conducting raids in Nalanda and Nawada districts to track them down. Officials confirmed that mastermind Dharmendra was managing the center at Vednagar, while Akash Kumar is considered the head of the entire network.