Cyber Fraud Ring Uses Stolen Phones to Steal Bank Accounts

Post Views: 15

Odisha Police’s Barbil Police Station has dismantled an organized criminal network targeting truck drivers through theft and financial exploitation.

Overview of the Case

Odisha Police’s Barbil Police Station in Keonjhar district has dismantled an organized criminal network suspected of targeting truck drivers through physical theft and subsequent financial exploitation. Six individuals, including a woman linked to Jharkhand’s Jamtara cyber fraud syndicate, were apprehended. The group allegedly initiated attacks by stealing mobile devices and cash from victims before leveraging pre-installed digital payment applications on the stolen phones to siphon funds from their bank accounts.

Investigation Details

The investigation traces the first incident to June 4, when a truck driver employed by Priyatosh Roy was assaulted near Raida Chhak by armed perpetrators. The attackers reportedly seized the victim’s mobile phone and cash, then used the device’s pre-logged-in payment apps to transfer approximately ₹1.86 lakh from the driver’s bank account. The stolen phones were later sold to Chandrabati Patra for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 each. Authorities allege she coordinated with the Jamtara network, utilizing platforms like PhonePe and Google Pay to divert funds from victims’ accounts to third-party accounts. A 20–30% commission was reportedly collected per transaction.

During a raid on Chandrabati’s residence, law enforcement recovered 12 mobile devices, 26 bank passbooks, and 28 SIM cards. These items were linked to fraudulent activities and unauthorized financial transactions. Chandrabati was arrested based on evidence gathered during the probe. The detained suspects include Haladhar Nayak, Rounak Patra, Manas Tanti, Arbaaz Khan, Chandrabati Patra, and Suraj Pal Choudhury. Additional efforts are underway to locate other suspects connected to the network.

Cybersecurity Expert Insights

A cybersecurity researcher from Algoritha Security noted that stolen devices with active payment apps pose a significant risk, as criminals can exploit pre-authenticated sessions to transfer funds with minimal technical barriers. Mitigation steps include immediately deactivating the SIM card, notifying financial institutions, suspending UPI services, and resetting passwords and UPI PINs. Enabling screen locks, biometric authentication, and remote device locking mechanisms is also advised to minimize financial exposure.

Conclusion

Police continue to investigate the scale of the operation, aiming to identify all affected victims and quantify the total illicit withdrawals. Further legal proceedings will follow based on the evidence collected during the inquiry.