New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested four fraudsters involved in an investment scam of Rs 16 lakh.

According to a statement issued by the South-West District Police, a team from the Cyber Police Station arrested four cyber fraudsters — Manish Dilip Bhai Koshti (37), Mohd. Zaid A. Sidi (28), Md. Aezaz Khimani (35) and Shaikh Abrar (27), all residents of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. A total of six mobile phones, six debit cards, and eight SIM cards used in the crime were recovered.

A complaint from A. Kumar of Palam Colony was received at the police station Cyber/SWD through NCRP, wherein he reported that he had been added to a WhatsApp group named “71 Abbott”, and the admin and members had impersonated representatives of an investment firm. They lured him with promises of 300 per cent profit, induced him to make multiple payments at different stages, and eventually cheated him of Rs 16,00,000. Accordingly, FIR No. 112/25, dated October 27, under Section 318(4) BNS was registered, and an investigation began.

A team comprising Sub Inspector Sombir, Head Constable Jitender, HC Mayurpal, and HC Sandeep was formed under the supervision of Insp. Pravesh Kaushik, SHO/PS Cyber, and the overall guidance of Vijay Kumar, ACP/OPS, to trace the fraud network. Through technical surveillance, analysis of digital footprints, and examination of the money trail, the team established that parts of the cheated amount, Rs 50,000 and Rs 2,00,000, were routed through UCO Bank and RBL Bank accounts before being settled into the HDFC Bank account of Manish Koshti via payment gateways such as Cred and Razorpay.

A raid in Ahmedabad led to the arrest of Manish Koshti. During interrogation, he disclosed his role in settling cheated money through credit card bill payments on a 5 per cent commission. He also revealed the involvement of Zaid and other associates. Acting on this information, further raids were conducted in Ahmedabad, and the remaining three accused — Mohd. Zaid, Md. Aezaz and Shaikh Abrar — were arrested. All incriminating digital devices and bank cards used in the fraud were seized.

The accused initially dealt in the purchase and sale of mobile phones, but later operated an office in Ahmedabad where they settled cheated money through credit card bill payments, sale and purchase of USDT, and other channels. They earned a 5 per cent commission per transaction, which was shared among all members. They functioned as a well-coordinated financial settlement module for multiple cybercrime syndicates.

Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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