Puducherry cyber wing busts major online fraud

Senior Inspector of Police R. Kalaivanan addresses a press conference on Sunday. | Photo Source: SS KUMAR

The Puducherry Cyber ​​Police has busted an online scam of crores of rupees that had duped a large number of unsuspecting investors across India, leading to the arrest of seven persons.

Senior Police Inspector (Crime and Investigations) R. Kalaivanan, accompanied by Police Inspector S. Bascarane, told reporters that a total of 64 bank accounts linked to the frauds were traced, revealing that transactions totalling Rs560 million were made in the last nine months.

In addition, over 50 computers, luxury vehicles, a high-end bicycle and a number of credit and debit cards were seized during the operation. It also came to light that the fraudsters had bought luxury bungalows in Bengaluru and resorts in Yercaud, Puducherry and Kodaikanal using the embezzled money.

Investigators believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and have already collected details of 1,57,346 potential victims in India through the websites of Global Software Solution, Algo Master Trading and Gleam Global Services. Police will contact these people to gather information on how many have been affected.

“The discovery of the fraud and the arrests were the result of an extensive investigation initiated following a complaint filed by a resident who fell victim to the suspicious activity,” the SSP said.

According to Kokila’s complaint, she registered her details with Global Software Solution Trading Company and then received a call from a representative who claimed to be associated with Global Software Solution and Algo Master Trading Company. Convincing her that investing through their proprietary robot trading software would yield high returns, Kokila was persuaded to pay for the software initially and then for a series of installments totaling ₹18 lakhs for trading. Unfortunately, she never received any refunds and it became impossible to contact the scammers.

Realising that she had been cheated, the woman filed a formal complaint with the Puducherry Cyber ​​Crime Police Station, which registered a case under Sections 318(4), 319(2) of the BNS and Section 66 D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

During the two-month investigation, investigators used modern technology to track bank transactions and examine various forms of digital communications to trace the activities of the fraudsters in Bengaluru and Neyveli, which had links with a larger international structure.

According to the police, on August 31, a special team led by BC Keerthy, comprising Irusavel, Vinod, Balaji and policewoman Aishwarya, conducted a successful operation in Bengaluru and arrested the prime suspects.

The accused were Thufail Ahmed and his accomplices Praveen, Jagadish, Ansar Muhammad, Ramachandran, Vimal Raj and Prem Anand.

The investigation revealed key details about the scam, including the existence of a vast network that operated from multiple call centres across India since 2014. The scam was organised using overseas internet connections to avoid detection, and the call centres did not operate from where they were registered.

Cyber ​​police have identified Nawshad Khan and Tufail Khan of Neyveli as the masterminds behind the operation. Police are on the lookout for five more suspects who are at large.

The Puducherry Cyber ​​Police has urged citizens to be cautious while using online trading platforms that promise high returns with minimal risk. “We encourage anyone who may have fallen victim to such scams to report the incidents,” Mr. Kalaivanan said.