Probe into digital arrest cases: Khan Market eatery owner’s account used to siphon money, arrested

Earlier, the brothers used to run the famous Khan Chacha restaurant in Khan Market, as they were the sons of the joint’s founder, Haji Banda Hasan. The eatery has now changed hands and is currently owned by Navneet Kalra.

Police said that as part of Delhi Police’s monthly crackdown on cyber crime, Operation Cy-Hawk 4.0, it came to light that the account was being used by a network of fraudsters who executed “digital arrest” scams to extort money. Investigators found that at least 21 complaints were linked to the account, with cheated funds amounting to around Rs 3.3 crore.

“The bank account, registered in the name of Saleem Javed Rule the Rolls, came under scrutiny while we were tracing transaction trails of around Rs 54 lakh, extorted from multiple victims. The amount was credited into the account before being further routed to several other accounts,” DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said.

During questioning, Javed allegedly told the police that they had initially opened the account for their restaurant and catering business but later agreed to share access details with the fraudsters after being offered a commission of 2-3%. “They were facing financial difficulties when they were introduced to a man named Harvinder Kohli,” the DCP said.

Kohli allegedly offered them a way out. He put them in touch with Naseem and Sandeep Dwivedi, who dabbled in the business of buying and selling mule accounts, said police. “Diwedi offered them a commission of 2-3 % on every amount, which passed through the restaurant’s account,” the officer said.

Police said the accused had attempted to delete their chats with the handlers, but digital evidence recovered during forensic examination of their devices gave them away. Two mobile phones and SIM cards used in the operation have been seized.

“Further investigation is underway to trace Diwedi and other intermediaries, and also identify additional victims. Police have shared the account details and digital evidence with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to establish links with similar cases across the country,” the DCP said.

When contacted, Navneet Kalra said the restaurant has no association whatsoever with the brothers. “They used to work with us more than a decade ago. Since then, they have no role or association with Khan Chacha,” he added.