The accused in police custody
Varanasi: A nationwide cyber fraud network that allegedly routed over Rs 116 crore through 41 bank accounts and generated 143 complaints across the country was busted by the Cyber Crime Cell and Chetganj police on Sunday, leading to the arrest of four accused, including the alleged mastermind. Police said 143 complaints connected to the accounts had been registered nationwide. The arrested accused have been identified as Nitish Kumar Pandey (32), a resident of Rohtas district in Bihar, Dushyant Singh (34), Himanshu Jha (25) and Mohd Rehan. Police recovered seven mobile phones, including four iPhones and three Android phones, one laptop, 19 cheque books, six passbooks, 40 debit cards, two credit cards, four shopping cards, one Green Remit Card, one gaming card, 48 QR scanners, one driving licence and two vehicles from the accused.
Police said they received information that some suspicious persons were present near Vivekanandpuri Colony in the Karaundi area. Acting on the tip-off, a raid was conducted and the four accused were arrested from the spot. A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Chetganj police station. Police teams have also been deployed to arrest other accused — Prateek Tiwari alias Bunty, a resident of Samne Ghat in Varanasi, and Romil Verma. Efforts are underway to trace other members of the gang and freeze the money deposited in the linked bank accounts.