Gurgaon: Six men, including an alleged key operative of a Dubai-based cyber fraud syndicate, were arrested in connection with a Rs 2-crore online investment scam targeting a retired Indian Air Force official.The probe traced a bank account linked to a private firm in Ghaziabad to a wider network with ties to the syndicate and a rented flat in Bahadurgarh that allegedly served as the operation’s hub.Police said the gang lured the victim into investing through fake WhatsApp groups impersonating reputed companies, along with a fraudulent app promising high returns. The money was routed through multiple bank accounts opened by the accused before being channelled to the syndicate in Dubai.The case came to light after the victim approached the cyber crime police station (east) when he was asked to deposit more money in order to withdraw his investment and promised profits. An FIR was registered on Jan 30, and the case was handed to the special cyber crime unit in Sector 56.Police arrested Sonu Chaudhary (23), Puneet Chaudhary (27), Vikas (22), Abhishek Sharma (23), Dushyant Chaudhary (25) and Samrat Sibbal (46) from Ghaziabad, Bahadurgarh and Delhi.Investigators said around Rs 6 lakh of the cheated amount had landed in the bank account of a private firm operated by Sonu. Questioned, Sonu admitted he had opened the account at Puneet’s instance and handed over its control for Rs 60,000.Police said Puneet and Samrat were part of a network supplying bank accounts to the Dubai syndicate. “The accounts, opened using fake firms and forged documents, were used to receive and layer proceeds of cyber fraud. The accused allegedly earned around 5% commission on every transaction routed through these accounts,” a police officer said.The investigation found that Puneet rented a flat in Omaxe City, Bahadurgarh, for Rs 17,000 a month, where the gang created shell firms, forged documents and fake email IDs, and opened bank accounts in the names of individuals and entities before handing them to the overseas syndicate. He employed Abhishek, Vikas and Dushyant on monthly salaries of Rs 15,000-20,000 to assist the operation.Investigators said Puneet had travelled to Dubai multiple times over the past four years and supplied more than 200 bank accounts. “His passport shows regular travel to Dubai over the past four years,” said ACP (Cyber Crime) Gaurav Fogat.Puneet told investigators he also worked with a Dubai-based handler identified as Rudra. “He gave us Rudra’s address, where five to six other people are also staying and carrying out cyber fraud activities,” Fogat said.Police recovered three laptops, 16 mobile phones, 90 ATM cards, 42 cheque books, 33 SIM cards and stamps of four firms, besides Puneet’s passport. The accused have been remanded to two days of police custody as investigators trace the money trail, identify other syndicate members and examine links to similar cyber fraud cases nationwide.Investigators have so far linked the recovered bank accounts to at least 12 cyber fraud complaints registered across the country — six in Rajasthan, two each in Telangana and Karnataka, and one each in Jharkhand and Kerala.
