- Uttarakhand STF arrested two West Bengal men linked to a Rs 25 lakh cyber fraud
- Victims' mobile and email were hacked to siphon nearly Rs 24.95 lakh from a firm
- Suspects provided bank accounts, debit cards, and SIM cards for laundering money
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two members of an inter-state cyber fraud network from West Bengal in connection with a fraud worth nearly Rs 25 lakh.
While speaking to the NDTV, Uttarakhand STF officer Ajay Singh said, "The duo played a key role in providing bank accounts, ATM cards and SIM cards that were used by cyber criminals to route and withdraw stolen money."
The arrests were made following a complaint filed by a Dehradun-based businessman, who alleged that cyber fraudsters hacked his mobile phone and gained unauthorised access to his company's banking system.
According to the STF, the accused allegedly altered the victim's registered mobile number and email credentials before siphoning off approximately Rs 24.95 lakh from the firm's bank account.
A case was subsequently registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Dehradun, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
Given the magnitude of the fraud, STF officials launched a detailed technical investigation. Teams examined banking transactions, mobile records and digital footprints while coordinating with banks, telecom service providers and online platforms to trace the money trail.
The investigation eventually led police to West Bengal, where STF had conducted raids and arrested two suspects from Ranaghat in North 24 Parganas district. The accused have been identified as Tapan Biswas (45) and Uttam Kumar Das (38).
According to STF officials, preliminary questioning revealed that the accused arranged and supplied bank accounts, debit cards and SIM cards to cyber fraudsters in exchange for financial commissions. Investigators suspect that these accounts were used as intermediary channels to transfer and layer proceeds of cyber crime.
Police said evidence collected during the probe indicates that one of the accused was actively operating a bank account used for fraudulent transactions, while funds linked to the Dehradun fraud were traced to another account connected to the network.
During the operation, police seized 13 debit cards belonging to different banks, three mobile phones, multiple SIM cards, passbooks, cheque books, blank cheques and account-opening documents.
Officials believe the arrests could help uncover a wider cyber fraud ecosystem operating across multiple states. Further investigation is underway to identify the masterminds behind the racket, trace additional beneficiaries and determine the full extent of the network's operations.
