Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell has arrested a suspected cybercriminal whose journey allegedly began with renting out bank accounts and later progressed into running his own cyber fraud gang. The accused allegedly used malicious APK files to gain access to victims’ mobile phones and empty their bank accounts within minutes.
Police arrested 23-year-old Vikas Kumar Gupta, a resident of Chhapra in Bihar, and recovered a mobile phone and SIM card from his possession.
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Delivery Executive’s Complaint Exposed Racket
The racket came to light after a delivery executive lodged a complaint on the NCRP portal alleging cyber fraud. The victim told police that a suspicious APK application had suddenly been installed on his mobile phone, following which Rs 2.48 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account within a short period.After receiving the complaint, the Cyber Police Station North registered a case and launched a technical investigation into the matter.
Money Trail Led Police To Bihar
During the investigation, police traced the fraudulently transferred money and found that Rs 2 lakh had been transferred to an account in Utkarsh Bank in Bihar. The account was registered in the name of Vikas Kumar Gupta.
A Delhi Police team subsequently travelled to Chhapra to arrest the accused, but he was found absconding and his family allegedly did not cooperate with the investigation. Police later tracked him down in Delhi through continuous technical surveillance and digital tracking before arresting him.
Accused Allegedly Formed Own Cyber Gang
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that he initially worked by providing bank accounts to other cybercriminals in exchange for commission. However, in an attempt to earn more money, he later formed his own cybercrime gang.Police said the accused came in contact with people through Facebook and other social media platforms who supplied bank accounts and malware-based
APK Files Used For Hacking Mobile Phones.
Investigators alleged that these malicious APK files were used to gain access to victims’ devices and siphon money from their bank accounts.
Under police pressure, the accused allegedly transferred the victim’s Rs 2.48 lakh back into his bank account. Police are now searching for other absconding members of the gang.