Surat, Oct 28 (IANS) The Cyber Crime Branch of Surat City Police, Gujarat, has arrested a 32-year-old gym trainer from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly helping siphon off money obtained through an online fraud in which a complainant was cheated of Rs 5.88 lakh on the promise of high returns from an e-commerce business.
The accused, Abdullah alias Sonu Mazid, allegedly facilitated the movement of the cheated money through bank accounts obtained on a commission basis and converted part of the proceeds into USDT, a cryptocurrency linked to the US dollar, as instructed by an absconding accused based in Dubai, police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, the complainant was contacted through a dating app and sent a link to a fake website.
The accused allegedly persuaded the complainant to create an account on the website, claiming that investing in e-commerce activities would generate good returns.
The complainant was subsequently induced to transfer a total of Rs 5,88,909 to different bank accounts. The money was not returned.
A case was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, as amended in 2008.
During the investigation, police traced Mazid to Varanasi and arrested him following a technical investigation conducted by a team led by Police Inspector A M Mori. The operation was carried out under the directions of senior officials.
Police said Rs 1,77,590 belonging to the complainant had been transferred to an HDFC Bank account linked to another accused, Imran Yusuf Khilchi, who had been arrested earlier in connection with the case.
According to the police, the absconding accused had the money deposited through cash deposit machines into bank accounts arranged by Mazid in exchange for commissions.
Mazid allegedly withdrew the money through ATMs and cheques, retained Rs 12,590 as his commission and used the remaining Rs 1.65 lakh to purchase USDT before transferring it as instructed by the absconding accused in Dubai.
The previously arrested accused, Imran Yusuf Khilchi, 46, is a businessman from Mumbai in Maharashtra.
The Surat City Police have urged residents not to allow others to use their bank accounts in exchange for commissions or other inducements, warning that such accounts may be used to route proceeds of cyber fraud.
Account holders could face legal action if their accounts are used in criminal activities.
–IANS
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