The police station’s cybercrime team arrested a cyber thug who was committing fraud in the name of securing an apartment abroad. The accused, identified as Sunny, a resident of Khurrampur village in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended, and one mobile phone and a bank account kit were recovered from his possession.
Providing details, Inspector Ranjit Singh, SHO-Cyber Crime, Chandigarh, mentioned that the arrest followed a complaint by Mansoor Ali, a resident of Sector 20/D, Chandigarh. According to the complaint, Ali’s wife, who was planning a trip to New York (USA) from November 17, 2023, sought an apartment through an online platform called Zillow. The accused, operating under the name Zilo Property, sent an email to Ali’s wife, requesting her to fill out an application form and submit it along with a payment of Rs 133,123 to the specified Paytm number (9300010045).
After receiving the payment, the accused ceased communication, and upon reaching New York, Ali’s wife discovered that there was no apartment at the provided address. The police initiated an investigation, which included seeking information from Google and examining bank records. The investigation revealed that the gang responsible for the fraud operated from Delhi, NCR, and the Chhattisgarh region.
Based on technical surveillance, the police conducted raids in the Delhi NCR area and arrested Sunny in the Khurrampur village of Muradnagar, Ghaziabad. During interrogation, Sunny admitted to trading cryptocurrencies on various platforms.
In the course of the investigation, it was uncovered that the mastermind behind the scam is Atar Singh, also known as Abhishek Kushwaha. The arrested individual, Sunny, was revealed to be an associate of Atar Singh, managing bank accounts for fraudulent activities. They conducted transactions using different cryptocurrencies, bypassing the mandatory KYC process for every transaction.
Mastermind and Methodology
During the investigation, it was determined that the kingpin of the scam is Atar Singh, alias Abhishek Kushwaha. The arrested person, Sunny, was identified as an accomplice of Atar Singh. They managed bank accounts and engaged in fraudulent activities, circulating the defrauded amounts through cryptocurrency transactions. Although KYC is mandatory for every transaction, they consistently neglected to perform it for individuals involved in buying USDT.
