A major breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime has led to the arrest of five individuals from Uttar Pradesh, accused of masterminding a multi-crore rupee fraud that spanned the country. The arrests came after a complaint lodged by Sonia Hanspal of Amasivani, who reported being defrauded of ₹2.83 crore between May 21, 2025, and July 10, 2025. The suspects, impersonating officers from the Delhi Cyber Wing and Delhi Police, used deceptive tactics to induce a “digital arrest” via WhatsApp video calls, falsely claiming that her Aadhaar card was linked to money laundering activities to extract money.
The investigation was initiated under the direction of top-ranking police officials. A joint task force, comprising personnel from the Range Cyber Police Station, the Anti-Crime & Cyber Unit, and the Vidhan Sabha Police, was formed to investigate. The team meticulously examined the complainant’s statements and conducted a technical analysis of the mobile numbers and bank accounts utilized by the fraudsters. This forensic investigation led to the location of the suspects in Uttar Pradesh.
A four-member police team was deployed to Uttar Pradesh and conducted raids in Gorakhpur and Lucknow. The raids resulted in the apprehension of Akash Sahu and Sher Bahadur Singh alias Monu from Gorakhpur, and Anoop Mishra, Naveen Mishra, and Anand Kumar Singh from Lucknow. During the interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the scam.
The investigation revealed that Akash and Sher Bahadur Singh acquired SIM cards and made WhatsApp video calls to ensnare victims. Anoop, Naveen, and Anand Singh then established fake companies like Shri Narayani Infra Developer Private Limited and others to siphon off the stolen funds. Anand Kumar Singh managed a Punjab National Bank customer service center in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh.
The police have seized bank accounts, checkbooks, SIM cards, and mobile phones. A sum of ₹43 lakh in the form of stolen money has been frozen in the bank accounts of the accused. The police are actively seeking other suspects and are taking steps to seize the assets of the accused, who are believed to have been operating more than 40 fraudulent companies.
