CHANDIGARH, February 22: Amidst efforts to enhance Punjab’s safety under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s vision, the Cyber Crime Division of Punjab Police arrested four cyber criminals from different districts of Assam, announced Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.

Modus Operandi and Arrests

The gang’s modus operandi involved enticing individuals with lucrative “Work from Home” jobs through a Telegram mobile app group. The fraudsters initially assigned small tasks to gain trust, offering a small amount of money in return. Later, the perpetrators persuaded victims to deposit money on various pretexts, promising larger returns. The individuals arrested have been identified as Jahirul Islam, Rafiual Islam, Mehabub Alam, and Azizur Rehman.

Investigative Progress

Following a complaint from a woman who was duped of Rs 25 lakhs by the fraudsters, a Cyber Crime team led by SI Jujhar Singh Janjua and SI Davinder Kashni conducted an investigation into the case and found that the gang was operating from the districts of Assam. During the operation, the Cyber Crime team arrested the accused Jahirul Islam and Rafiual Islam from Nagaon district of Assam. They disclosed that they were running a Customer Services Point (CSP) for providing online services.

Further Investigation and Legal Action

To make quick money, they misused the documents of the general public for making duplicate PAN Cards, Voter Cards, Aadhaar Cards using Adobe Photoshop software, which they further used for opening Bank Accounts and obtaining SIM Cards on the directions of another accused, Mehabub Alam. The ADGP mentioned that thereafter, Mehabub Alam was arrested from Guwahati district. He revealed that he came into contact with Azizur Rehman, who asked him to provide bank accounts on a commission basis. Police teams also arrested accused Azizur Rehman from Morigaon district of Assam. Preliminary investigations have also suggested that the main kingpins, who are operating this fraud racket from overseas, were receiving money in cryptocurrency. DSP Cybercrime, Prabhjot Kaur, is conducting further investigations, and authorities anticipate more arrests.

Legal Proceedings

State Cyber Crime in SAS Nagar registered a case FIR no. 29 dated 13/10/2023 under sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

BOX: BEWARE OF FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

• Avoid Telegram groups luring into easy money like ‘Work from Home’

• Never make online payment to anyone in lure of bigger return

• Avoid clicking on links or downloading files from unknown sources

• Never share Debit/Credit Card or Bank details on any application

• Never click on links offering discounts and prizes

• Use unique password for each account and change it frequently