Nationwide Cyberfraud Racket Uncovered in Bengaluru; Four Arrested

Chennai: A complaint from a Puducherry resident has led to the busting of a major nationwide cyberfraud operation. Four men were recently arrested by the Puducherry Cyber Crime Police in Bengaluru, according to Maalai Malar.

The case began when Ramesh Kumar from Laspettai, Puducherry, reported being defrauded of Rs 17,71,000 in an online scam that falsely promised employment in Canada. Acting on his complaint, Puducherry Cyber Crime Police launched an investigation, which revealed that a gang of North Indian men based in Bengaluru was behind the scam. The gang members, who were masquerading as LPG cylinder delivery agents, were identified as Subham Sharma (29) and Niraj Surjar (29) from Madhya Pradesh, and Raj (28) from Uttarakhand.

The police, led by Inspector Keerthi, arrested the four men in Bengaluru. Further investigations uncovered that the gang had targeted thousands of job seekers across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka. Seized laptops and cell phones revealed that the gang had defrauded around 3,400 victims, amassing approximately Rs 200 crore. Additionally, 360 more individuals were found to have been duped by their schemes.

Puducherry cyber crime officials are compiling lists of victims from each state and will share them with local police forces. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to locate the alleged kingpin of the racket, Azam Khan.