Nalanda Police carried out a swift raid in Katarisara village and arrested 10 people involved in a cyber fraud racket that cheated victims of ₹25 lakh across Bihar and UP. The action followed a tip from a local villager who reported suspicious activity at a rented house in the area.
The Giriak police station team raided the location and seized phones loaded with malware, multiple SIM cards, bank passbooks, debit cards, laptops, cash, and transaction records. The accused, aged between 19 and 28, were led by a local youth and targeted unemployed job seekers and housewives through WhatsApp messages promising fake UPI based investment returns.
Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Raval said ₹8 lakh has already been frozen and ₹5 lakh refunded to complainants. He described the operation as a strong example of effective rural cyber policing.
The fraud followed a fixed pattern. Victims received WhatsApp messages posing as stock brokers, claiming “Invest ₹5,000 today, earn ₹50,000 tomorrow via our app.” Fake profit screenshots were shared to build trust. Victims were then asked to pay “withdrawal taxes” or “bonus unlock” charges. Money was transferred through UPI to mule accounts controlled remotely.
Victims from Patna, Lucknow, and Varanasi lost amounts ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹2 lakh each. Police traced 50 complaints linked to the gang. Professor Triveni Singh, former IPS officer and cyber expert, said, “Village gangs fuel 60% UPI frauds—local intel cracks them. WhatsApp anonymity hides interstate pipelines.”
The early morning raid led to the recovery of 15 malware infected phones, 25 active SIM cards registered with fake identities, bank passbooks, 12 debit cards, ₹3.5 lakh in cash, 2 laptops, and detailed UPI ledgers showing total fraud of ₹25 lakh. The arrested include Rahul (24), Sunny (22), Priya (19), and 7 others. Three accused fled to Patna and sketches have been released.
Interrogation revealed the scam ran for 6 months and affected over 100 victims. Funds were routed to mule accounts in Rajasthan, with possible links to Dubai hawala channels.
Nalanda Cyber Cell is now coordinating with Bihar STF and UP Police. The gang is linked to 15 FIRs across districts. Police have planned raids in 5 more districts and launched awareness camps to help villagers spot cyber fraud early.
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