ICICI Bank Regional Head involved in Rs 3.55 crore fraud in customer’s account

In Varanasi, the police have arrested a gang that swindled a retired teacher out of 3 crore 55 lakh rupees. The masterminds behind the gang are two brothers, one is the regional head of ICICI Bank in Lucknow, and the other is a cashier at HDFC Bank.

The police have apprehended six suspects, including both brothers. The case was registered at the cybercrime police station on March 13th. It was revealed that the brothers formed a gang, including friends knowledgeable in banking, mobile, and cyber techniques. They would impersonate bank officials via video calls to deceive victims.

What’s remarkable is that the cyber criminals impersonated police officers to carry out their scam. The Deputy Commissioner of Crime and the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kashikant Meena, disclosed that Shampa Rakshit, a retired teacher residing in the Rath Yatra area of Sigra, Varanasi, received a call from an unknown number on March 8th at 9 AM.

The caller claimed to be an employee of the telecom regulatory authority and falsely informed her that her phone would be disconnected within two hours. They also warned her of an impending call from the police. Shortly after, Shampa received a call from Inspector Vinay Choube, supposedly from Vile Parle Police Station in Maharashtra.

The scammer claimed her mobile number was involved in criminal activities. When Shampa resisted, she was threatened with arrest warrants and instructed to visit Vile Parle Police Station in Mumbai. The cyber criminals, posing as fake police officers, intimidated the entire family.

The DC Crime, Chandrakant Meena, revealed that on March 13th, the retired teacher filed a complaint about being scammed. Two teams were formed to investigate, gathering call details, locations, and data on the cunning criminals over several months. The locations of two suspects were traced to Yamuna Vihar in Lucknow’s Chinhat area.

Police raided a flat in Lucknow’s Yamuna Vihar Chinhat and arrested two youths. Upon interrogation, it was discovered that they were brothers and bank officials. Their mobile data and call details, along with photos and videos, provided evidence of their involvement in cyber fraud.

Further investigation revealed that the brothers had formed a gang, including relatives and two cyber experts from Gujarat. The accused Sarfaraz Alam, son of Abdul Latif, residing in Chinhat, was the regional head of ICICI Bank in Lucknow. His brother Nurul Huda worked as a cashier at HDFC Bank. After questioning, all four suspects were arrested.

Relatives of the accused, Taufik Khan, son of Ilyas Khan, and Arif Ahmed, son of Ejaz Ahmed Khan, from Indiranagar were also arrested. Additionally, Om Ashwin Bhai Goyani and Nirav Vatuk were arrested from other locations and brought to Varanasi.

The police seized 13 lakh 63 thousand rupees in cash and froze 63 lakh rupees deposited in other bank accounts belonging to the criminals. Inspector Vijay Narayan Mishra and his team from the cyber crime station were praised for their swift action. The DC announced a reward of 25,000 rupees for the team’s efforts.

Efforts are underway to recover the embezzled amount from the accounts. The team included Inspector Vijay Narayan Mishra, Inspector Rajkishore Pandey, Inspector Rakesh Kumar Gautam, Sub-Inspector Satish Singh, Sanjeev Kanaujiya, and Neelam Singh, along with several other police personnel.