Chandigarh: Three more arrested in Rs 2.5-crore cyber fraud case

Police have recovered three mobile phones with active SIMs and a set of forged KYC documents from the accused.

The case was registered on June 1, 2025, on a complaint filed by Sumit Kaur, a resident of Sector 10-A, Chandigarh.

Kaur fell victim to an elaborate cyber fraud on May 3, 2025, after receiving a call falsely claiming to be from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The fraudsters accused her of SIM misuse linked to a money laundering case involving the CEO of Jet Airways. She was then coerced via WhatsApp video calls by imposters posing as senior officials, including a fake DIG CBI, and as Supreme Court judges.

Under extreme psychological pressure, the victim was made to take an oath of secrecy and was tricked into transferring her life savings — approximately Rs 2.5 crore — into multiple fraudulently operated accounts under the guise of fund verification.

Accused Prashant Kumar was first arrested from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, and revealed he had helped open a fraudulent bank account using someone else’s KYC documents, for which he received Rs 54,000. His confession led the police to the arrests of Abhijeet and Anurag, alias Vikrant, from UP on June 27. They admitted to operating fake accounts for a 15 per cent commission and were found in possession of mobile phones and fake KYC documents.

Efforts are ongoing to trace the remaining members of the cyber fraud syndicate and to recover the defrauded amount, said the police.