₹85 Crore Cyber Fraud Racket Busted in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh

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Cyber Fraud Operation Dismantled in Muzaffarnagar

A massive cyber fraud operation has been dismantled in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, with the arrest of six individuals and the recovery of a large cache of devices and financial instruments. The gang is accused of duping victims across India of over ₹85 crore through a fake online travel portal that mimicked the website of a leading travel company.

Investigation and Arrests

The investigation, which was initiated after receiving nearly 70 complaints from different states, revealed that the gang had created a sophisticated fake website that appeared to be authentic, complete with booking interfaces and customer support numbers. The website was used to lure victims with attractive discounts on air tickets and hotel bookings, and then trick them into making payments through QR codes shared via messaging platforms.

Once the payment was made, the fraudsters would either block the victim or provide fake booking confirmations, allowing them to transfer the funds across multiple accounts before the victims could realize they had been duped. A significant portion of the siphoned money was traced to a bank account linked to a resident of Fugaana village in Muzaffarnagar, which became a crucial lead in the investigation.

Recovered Items

The police recovered a large cache of devices and financial instruments, including:

Nine mobile phones
12 ATM cards
13 SIM cards
Two Aadhaar cards
One PAN card
Two cheque books
One bank passbook
Seven pre-activated bank kits belonging to different banks
Electronic equipment, including a keyboard, mouse, Wi-Fi router, monitor, CPU, and printer
₹5,610 in cash

Modus Operandi

The gang allegedly relied on pre-activated bank kits and rented accounts to rotate funds rapidly, complicating efforts to trace the money trail. The devices seized are being sent for forensic examination to extract transaction details, communication records, and other digital evidence.

During preliminary interrogation, the arrested accused admitted to renting bank accounts, SIM cards, and ATM cards from individuals in exchange for commissions. The gang would transfer fraud proceeds into these rented accounts, retain a fixed percentage as commission, and then transfer the remaining funds to other accounts or withdraw cash using forged signatures and linked ATM cards.

Investigation and Arrests

The police believe that the gang operated as a financial conduit for larger cybercrime syndicates, enabling quick dispersal of funds before victims could initiate recovery proceedings. The six arrested accused were directly involved in transactions amounting to around ₹30 lakh over the past two months, and nearly 70 complaints associated with frauds totalling over ₹85 crore have surfaced nationwide.

The arrested accused have been identified as Akshay, Harsh Arya, Bhavyansh, Sachin, Harendra, and Aryan, while two other suspects, Raja and Anurag, are currently on the run. The operation was conducted under the supervision of senior district officials after technical evidence and banking records established the gang’s involvement. Further investigation is underway to identify additional associates, beneficiaries, and possible links to other cyber fraud cases across states.