New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a bank employee for allegedly facilitating a large-scale cyber-fraud racket that cheated multiple victims out of several crores of rupees through fake bank accounts and online scam networks.

According to the press release issued on Sunday, the accused, identified as Irshad Malik (35), a resident of Ghaziabad and an employee of RBL Bank, was arrested for his alleged role in “facilitating the opening of a fraudulent bank account used for siphoning off cheated money in a cyber fraud case.”

The Crime Branch stated that the accused “played a crucial role in facilitating the opening of a fraudulent bank account used for siphoning off cheated money,” adding that he had allegedly misused his official position as a bank relationship manager.

The case originated from FIR No. 138/23 dated October 10, 2023, registered at Police Station Cyber Dwarka under Section 420 IPC on a complaint of unauthorised debit of Rs 88,000 from an SBI account through fraudulent transactions. The money was later routed into a suspicious RBL Bank account in the name of “Lawrie Trade Exim”.

During the investigation, police found that the account had been “fraudulently opened in the name of Manmohan Singh using forged documents”. An FSL report confirmed that signatures on the account opening form did not match the genuine signatures of the account holder, establishing forgery.

Earlier in the case, four accused persons had already been arrested and are currently on court bail.

According to police, on April 10, specific intelligence indicated that the accused Irshad Malik would visit the RBL Bank branch at New Friends Colony. Acting on the information, a Crime Branch team led by Inspector Satish Malik conducted a raid and apprehended him.

He was later brought in for sustained interrogation at the WR-II office in Dwarka, where he allegedly admitted his involvement in the fraud.

Police said the gang ran an organised cyber fraud network targeting victims through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram by offering fake part-time jobs.

During interrogation, Irshad Malik reportedly disclosed that he had worked as a Relationship Manager in multiple RBL Bank branches and was responsible for opening current accounts. He admitted that while posted at the Safdarjung Enclave branch in 2023, he came into contact with co-accused Harjinder alias Harji alias Sunny.

He further revealed that Harjinder introduced a system of opening bank accounts in exchange for commission. The accused admitted that he knowingly accepted forged documents and facilitated account opening in violation of banking norms.

He also confessed that he was aware the accounts would be used for illegal activities, including routing cyber fraud proceeds, and that he received commission payments for his role.

The Crime Branch added that further investigation is underway to identify additional links in the cyber fraud network and trace other beneficiaries involved in the racket.

–IANS

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