GUWAHATI: Punjab Police has dismantled an interstate cyber fraud ring with the arrest of two individuals from Assam, identified as Najrul Ali and Midul Ali, both residents of Kamrup. This update was shared by Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Monday, November 18.
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The scam first came to light when a 76-year-old retired government officer lodged a complaint stating he had been contacted by someone claiming to be from the Mumbai Cyber Crime department. The caller accused him of being involved in money laundering and claimed a subpoena had been issued against him by the Bombay High Court.
Under the guise of clearing his name, the caller directed him to transfer money to various bank accounts. Acting under pressure, the victim obliged, depositing ₹76 lakh across multiple accounts.
Following his complaint, an FIR was registered, and investigators uncovered links between the accused and other cyber fraud cases across seven states. The traces soon led to the origin of the fraud from remote districts of Assam. Najrul Ali reportedly handled the stolen funds, while Midul Ali facilitated the opening of fraudulent bank accounts using fake documents.
Upon examination of further evidence, it was found out that the two suspects were also connected to a group of international operatives, who made threatening calls from Cambodia and Hong Kong to further intimidate victims.
The syndicate is believed to have orchestrated scams totaling ₹15 crore. For the moment, the suspects have been taken into custody, and further investigation is underway to identify the other members of the syndicate.
