New Delhi: The Delhi Police, investigating a case where a DRDO scientist was defrauded of Rs 40 lakh, has dismantled a gang engaged in bank account hacking, an official reported on Friday. Four members of the group have been apprehended.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary said, “The accused would pose as customer care representatives and contact unsuspecting victims, convincing them to install a malware packaged as an Android Package Kit (APK) file under the guise of resolving issues. Once installed, the file grants remote access to the victim’s device, allowing the fraudsters to steal sensitive financial details, including banking credentials, PAN (permanent account number) card details, and CVV (card verification value) codes. Using this method, they siphoned off lakhs from the victims’ bank accounts.”
An inquiry was initiated following a report from a retired scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), who claimed that fraudsters had stolen Rs 40 lakh from his savings and fixed deposits.
DCP Choudhary said, “The victim had searched online for a customer support number and called a fraudulent contact. He was then sent malware via social media, which he installed, unwittingly granting access to his bank account. Over seven days, the accused systematically transferred funds from his account. Following his complaint, an FIR was registered, and a team of cyber police officers initiated a thorough probe,” he said.
Police traced the operation back to Deoghar in Jharkhand and Mewat in Rajasthan. Technical surveillance uncovered crucial information about the fraudsters’ activities, revealing their tactics of using rotating SIM cards and frequently changing devices to avoid detection.
Based on geo-location tracking and intelligence reports, police carried out raids and apprehended four individuals: Iqbal Ansari, Sajid Khan, Salman Khan, and Narendra Kumar.
Iqbal Ansari is accused of managing fraudulent advertisements for fake customer support numbers, handling calls, and distributing malware. Sajid Khan and Salman Khan were tasked with luring job seekers under false pretenses to open bank accounts that the gang would exploit for money laundering. Narendra Kumar was identified as the individual responsible for withdrawing the stolen funds from ATMs, according to the DCP.
Police recovered five smartphones containing incriminating data, including excel sheets with financial details of victims. Investigation has revealed that the syndicate had targeted victims across India using similar tactics, the DCP said.
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