Bengaluru Police Arrest Eight in Fake Courier Scam, Rs 1.08 Crore Defrauded

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Bengaluru Police Arrest Eight Individuals Involved in Fake Courier Scam

The Bengaluru police have recently apprehended eight individuals for their alleged participation in a fake courier scam that specifically targeted unsuspecting citizens. The scam involved the perpetrators claiming to have discovered narcotics or items connected to terrorism in packages sent under the victims’ names.

The arrests were made following an incident in which a retired man fell victim to the scam, losing a staggering sum of Rs 1.08 crore. The case was registered at the North CEN police station. Additionally, the arrests helped unravel two similar cases in Bengaluru. Tracking the bank accounts and phone numbers used in the crime through the National Cyber Crime Portal (NCRP) revealed links to 75 other cases across the country.

The victim, Nataraj Rao, aged 58, lodged a complaint with the police in the second week of November. He reported receiving a call on November 10 from an individual claiming to be an employee of Fedex Courier. The caller stated that illegal items, including four expired passports, 2.35 kg of clothes, two pen drives, a laptop, credit cards, bank documents, and 140 grams of MDMA, had been found in a parcel addressed to Rao’s wife. The package was supposedly being sent from Mumbai to Thailand.

The caller further alleged that Rao’s wife was involved in money laundering and drug peddling, claiming to be a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) from the Mumbai Police narcotics cell. Subsequently, the victim was asked to provide his bank statements and was instructed to temporarily transfer his funds to accounts designated by the fake “police officer” for verification by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Trusting the false claims, the victim transferred Rs 66 lakh from an HDFC account and Rs 42 lakh from a Jana Small Finance Bank, resulting in a total loss of Rs 1.08 crore. It was only later that Rao realized he had been swindled.

During the investigation, the police discovered that approximately Rs 9.34 lakh of the defrauded amount had been transferred to an RBL bank account and subsequently withdrawn in Davangere, a city in central Karnataka. CCTV footage from the bank assisted in identifying the suspects who had physically withdrawn a portion of the money.

Based on the information obtained in Davangere, the Bengaluru North Cen police made a significant breakthrough on Friday by arresting eight individuals and confiscating Rs 13.17 lakh in cash. Additionally, Rs 19 lakh across various linked accounts were frozen. The gang operated using 11 mobile phones and as many as 148 bank accounts for their illicit activities.

“The arrest of these persons has led to the cracking of 75 cases logged on the National Cyber Crime Portal (NCRP). Two cybercrime cases registered with the North CEN police have also been solved,” stated the North CEN police in a release.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Wasim N, 30, Habeebullah M, 35, Nizamuddin, 24, Mushraff Khan, 24, Nurullah Khan, 53, Mohammed Umar, 44, Syed Ahmed Moula, 35, and Syed Hussain, 25. The suspects hail from Davangere and Bengaluru, according to the police.

This incident is not an isolated case, as on November 10, another senior citizen in south Bengaluru fell victim to a similar scam and lost Rs 1.52 crore. The victim, Debashish Das, 66, received a call from someone claiming to be Kartikeya, an employee of Fedex courier firm. The fraudster informed Das that a case had been registered against him in Mumbai related to a courier sent in his name to Taiwan, containing five expired passports, six credit cards, and 950 grams of MDMA. Subsequently, a person posing as Mumbai police officer Pradeep Sawant convinced Das to transfer Rs 1.52 crore “for verification purposes.”

It is worth noting that Bengaluru has witnessed a surge in cybercrimes, with at least 250 cases of courier fraud reported this year alone. In response to the rising number of cybercrimes, the Bengaluru police have classified the various types of scams into four categories and have assigned senior police officers to oversee each section.

While the recent arrests are a significant victory, it serves as a reminder for citizens to remain cautious and vigilant when dealing with unfamiliar calls or suspicious requests for personal information or financial transactions..