National level shooter held for Rs 40-lakh cyber fraud

Analysis of the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) later revealed that at least 40 complaints and two FIRs were registered in Bengaluru and Mumbai against the same account, underlining the pan-India footprint of the operation.

Crime Branch officers said the racket operated through a layered network of mule bank accounts, designed to rapidly move and disperse money. Sustained questioning of previously arrested accused revealed that Chauhan played a key role in sourcing these accounts by allegedly persuading people to let them use their bank accounts in return for commissions of around Rs 1 lakh per account.

“He acted as a vital link between people who provided mule accounts and higher-level cyber operators,” an officer said. Chauhan would pass on the details of these accounts to another associate based in Agra who handled the onward routing and layering of the funds to make tracking difficult, police said, adding that efforts are underway to trace and arrest the associate and identify other members of the syndicate.

Chauhan was arrested after a multi-state operation was carried out based on financial trail mapping and on NCRP data. “A team of the Delhi Police Cyber Cell conducted discreet surveillance at multiple locations in Agra after Chauhan repeatedly changed locations to evade arrest. Using real-time technical inputs and ground intelligence, the team eventually tracked and apprehended him. During questioning, Chauhan allegedly confirmed his role as an intermediary in the fraud network,” DCP (Crime) Aditya Gautam said.

Police said efforts are underway to identify additional mule accounts, trace the complete money trail, coordinate with other state police departments regarding linked cases, and recover the proceeds of crime. Further investigation is underway, they added.