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While investigating a digital arrest fraud case in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the police reached the bank. Four employees of the private bank and their partner were subsequently arrested. These people are alleged to have allegedly helped international cybercriminals open bank accounts without KYC and transfer fraudulent money through them. This fraud came to light during the investigation by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch.
ACP Hardik Makadia on Thursday said that as part of the conspiracy, four employees of the bank, including a deputy manager, opened two bank accounts in two branches of Yes Bank in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and used these accounts to extort Rs 1.15 crore. to a senior citizen. He said the arrested accused have been identified as Jigar Joshi, Jatin Chokhawala, Deepak Soni, Mavji Patel and Anilkumar Manda, residents of Rajasthan.
The accused worked at Yes Bank.
Makadia said that of them, Chokhawala and Soni work as “personal bankers” at Yes Bank branch in Deesa town of Banaskantha district of Gujarat, while Patel is posted as assistant manager in the same branch. Manda works as a ‘personal banker’ at Yes Bank’s Merta branch in Rajasthan and Joshi had handed over his bank account to the accused to transfer the proceeds of crime.
Senior citizen swindled of Rs 1.15 crore
Makadia said, “On November 16, an elderly man complained to us that some people, posing as Delhi Police officers, ‘digitally arrested’ him and extorted Rs 1.15 million from him. The fraudsters threatened the complainant and said that his Aadhaar card had been used in criminal activities. He said that, fearing arrest, the complainant transferred Rs 1.15 crore to a bank account. The scammers had promised to return the money after verification.
The defendants were in contact with international cybercriminals.
Makadia said that during the investigation, the cybercrime division identified three bank accounts that were used by the cybercriminals to accept and transfer Rs 1.15 million. He said, “One bank account in the name of Balaji Enterprise was opened in the Merta branch in Rajasthan, while the other account in the name of Shivraj was opened in the Deesa branch of Yes Bank on November 13. Shivraj is already arrested. The next day, Rs 1 million was deposited in the same account.” He said the third bank account belonged to Jigar Joshi, who had agreed to allow cybercriminals to use his account to earn commission. The ACP said, “Four employees of Yes Bank were in contact with agents of international cybercriminals operating from outside India.
Accounts were opened without KYC
Both the bank accounts at Merta and Deesa were opened without any KYC or address proof. The defendant used to receive a 10 percent commission for each deposit made into those accounts. Makadia said that after the complainant deposited Rs 1 million on November 13, the accused DISA employees helped the fraudster withdraw Rs 25 lakh the next day. . Rs 75 lakh was then transferred to Joshi’s bank account as he had also agreed to work on commission, Makadia said. He said that out of Rs 1.5 crore, police have so far recovered Rs 19 lakh in cash from the accused, while transactions of Rs 63.60 lakh deposited in various bank accounts have been frozen. (PTI input-language)
