12th-fail cyber thugs live lavish life in Delhi by duping people, arrested by UP police

Uttar Pradesh Police last week arrested a gang of cybercriminals from Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, for allegedly cheating several people by impersonating officials of CBI, RBI, Income Tax, and other government agencies through a mobile application. The arrested individuals were living lavish lives in the national capital, with luxury cars and bouncers at their disposal.

The Prayagraj police said “cyber thugs” Sandeep Kumar Sen (23) and Mohd Sahil (19)—experts in data breaches and phishing—used leaked data from mobile applications and social networking sites to rob people of their hard-earned money.

A case under sections 319 (2), 318 (4), 308 (2), 336 (3), 111 (1) (2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 66 and 67 of the IT Act was registered against them with the cyber police station.

The case came to light when one of the victims, whom the duo duped of cash worth ₹68 lakh on different pretexts, approached the cyber police station and lodged an FIR.

During interrogation, the duo confessed to their alleged involvement in several cyber frauds amounting to ₹1.5 crore under the pretext of investments in cryptocurrency and digital arrests.

They revealed their modus operandi, stating how they used to target people using their personal information.

Modus Operandi

The duo admitted that they have been purchasing bank customers’ details, including mobile numbers, bank account details, and databases, from insurance agencies, WhatsApp, and other banking sites to target people.

“They have duped the person of ₹68 lakh. They first trapped the cyber fraud victim and lured him into making an investment of ₹20 lakh in cryptocurrency through Defter/Laser Accounting App. Then they call the victim posing as CBI, Income Tax and RBI officers and threatened to send summons and notices for investing in cryptocurrency,” Deepak Bhukar DCP (City), Prayagraj told News 18.

The duo owns a chain of bars and restaurants in the national capital and used to keep two bouncers for whom they paid ₹80,000 monthly. They resided in a rented flat in Delhi, paying ₹60,000 per month. The police also recovered luxury cars, expensive gadgets, phones, and watches from their possession.