Guwahati: The Guwahati police have arrested four members of a gang involved in large-scale financial fraud in the city.
The gang targeted unsuspecting individuals, particularly those facing financial difficulties, by promising them easy money in exchange for their bank account details, Guwahati police said in a statement.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team from the East District and Crime Branch of Guwahati police led by ACP Basistha raided a guest house in city’s Bhetapara area on April 18. Eight suspected fraudsters were initially detained for questioning during the raid, police said.
Based on the gathered evidence, four cyber criminals–three from West Bengal and one from Bihar–were arrested and taken into police custody for further interrogation, said a police official.
They have been identified as Dipak Singh, 18, Rupam Goswami, 45, Firoz Khan, 44, and Shlok Kumar, 21.
Police seized 12 mobile phones, a laptop, and multiple bank debit cards during the raid. Further investigation uncovered additional bank account details from the suspects’ phones, the official added.
The investigation revealed their involvement in collecting bank account details for fraudulent money transfers, sometimes using online gaming and betting apps as a disguise.
The arrested fraudsters reportedly lured victims with the promise of significant returns for allowing their bank accounts to be used for transactions, the official said.
They then obtained sensitive information like ATM cards and PINs, enabling them to freely transfer illegally acquired funds through these accounts, he added.
The official said that these “mule accounts” served as a channel for laundering money generated through various cyber financial frauds, leaving the original account holders completely unaware of the suspicious activity.
He said often, victims would only be questioned by authorities after the trail of fraudulent transactions led investigators to their accounts.