New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) The Cyber Police Station of Delhi Police’s Shahdara district has successfully solved a cyber fraud case involving the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 5.67 lakh from a bank account, with three accused persons, including the alleged mastermind, being arrested for their involvement in the crime.

The investigation revealed the use of mule bank accounts to route and conceal the stolen funds.

According to police, the case came to light on May 14, when Vinod Hira, a resident of Dilshad Garden, lodged a complaint at PS Cyber Shahdara.

Hira informed police that he runs a boutique in Sarojini Nagar and maintains a bank account with the State Bank of India’s Dilshad Garden branch.

The complainant stated that approximately Rs 5.80 lakh was lying in the account, which had remained largely unused. In May, he issued a cheque of Rs 6,500 in favour of the New Delhi Municipal Council. However, the cheque was dishonoured due to insufficient funds. On approaching the bank, he discovered that more than Rs 5,67,100 had been fraudulently withdrawn from his account through unauthorised UPI transactions.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, police registered e-FIR No. 130/2026 dated May 14, under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and launched an investigation.

Considering the seriousness of the offence, a dedicated team comprising SI Sandeep Kumar, ASI Anil Kumar, and HC Vikrant Sharma was formed under the close supervision of SHO, Cyber, Vijay Kumar, and the overall supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara.

During the investigation, the team conducted an extensive analysis of bank records, UPI transaction trails, IP logs, and other digital evidence. Investigators found that the fraudulently withdrawn amount had been routed through multiple bank accounts in an attempt to disguise the money trail.

Further financial and technical analysis revealed that some of the accounts used in the transaction chain were operated by Adil Salmani and Maninder Singh. By meticulously tracing the flow of funds, police were able to identify the ultimate beneficiary and alleged mastermind behind the cyber fraud.

Acting on technical surveillance, digital evidence and intelligence inputs, police conducted raids at multiple locations across Delhi. The coordinated operation resulted in the arrest of three accused persons: Nitin Gulati, Salmani, and Maninder Singh.

Police said all three accused were arrested after sustained interrogation and confrontation with documentary and technical evidence collected during the investigation.

According to investigators, Gulati, who is the complainant’s nephew, emerged as the mastermind of the conspiracy. He allegedly siphoned money from his uncle’s bank account through unauthorised UPI transactions and subsequently routed the stolen funds through mule bank accounts operated by Salmani and Maninder Singh.

The investigation revealed that the money was layered through multiple transactions before being transferred to accounts linked to Gulati, making him the primary beneficiary of the fraud.

Police further stated that Salmani knowingly provided and operated his bank account as a mule account to facilitate the transfer of fraudulent proceeds and conceal the transaction trail. Similarly, Maninder Singh allegedly allowed his account to be used for routing and layering the stolen funds to obscure the origin and destination of the money.

During interrogation, both accused reportedly admitted their involvement in facilitating and operating bank accounts used in the commission of the cyber fraud.

With the arrest of the mastermind and his two associates, police have successfully established the complete financial transaction trail and secured crucial digital and banking evidence related to the case. Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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