Man Arrested For Duping People Of Rs 20 Lakh Using Fingerprints in Delhi: Cops

A man has been arrested for allegedly duping multiple people of nearly Rs 20 lakh by using their fingerprints to withdraw money from their bank accounts in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri area, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Farman (25), ran a customer service centre under the name 'Safe Solution Customer Care' affiliated with State Bank of India near the bank's branch office, a police statement said.

He allegedly exploited his access to biometric systems, collecting victims' fingerprints and bank details on the pretext of depositing money into their accounts, he added.

"The scam came to light after a PCR call was received on May 26 reporting suspicious activities at the café. The caller informed that a man was collecting fingerprints from customers under the guise of assisting with banking transactions but was instead misusing the data to siphon off funds," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sachin Sharma said.

A case was registered under Section 316(5) (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Sultanpuri Police Station and an investigation was launched.

"Farman was apprehended during a raid and during sustained interrogation, he confessed to his involvement. He told us that he suffered heavy financial losses in share trading and began misusing biometric authentication systems to recover the money by fraudulent means," the DCP said.

The police said the accused used to collect account numbers and fingerprints of unsuspecting individuals and then withdraw money from their accounts without their knowledge.

So far, police have received complaints from at least 45 victims. The total amount defrauded is estimated to be between Rs 18 to 20 lakh. Investigations are underway to identify more victims and determine the full scale of the fraud, the officer said.

Police are also looking into the accused's possible connections with any larger network involved in similar biometric or banking frauds, he added.

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