Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s Office. File photo.
BENGALURU:
A specialized police investigation team recently carried out an operation in the city, resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals involved in a fraudulent scheme. These individuals had been posing as representatives of the renowned courier company, FedEx, and attempted to extort large sums of money by falsely claiming that illegal items were present in the victims’ packages. A case has been officially registered against them.
The arrested suspects have been identified as residents of Kerala, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. A staggering amount of 25.47 lakhs was found in the suspects’ bank accounts, and the mobile phones and laptops used in the commission of the crimes have been confiscated.
The modus operandi of the accused involved making calls through an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, pretending to be FedEx representatives. They would inform the victims that their courier, allegedly containing prohibited substances, had been seized by Mumbai Customs officials.
Shortly after, the same culprits would call from a different number, threatening the victims with a case being filed against them by the Mumbai Police or other investigating officers. They would then demand interrogation. At times, they would coerce the victims into transferring money, while in other instances, they would obtain the victims’ bank account details and personal documents to carry out online transfers.
In light of the escalating number of such cases, a specialized investigation team was formed under the leadership of DCP Kuldeep Kumar Jain from the Bangalore Traffic East Division. Over the course of one year, this team conducted a comprehensive investigation into approximately 330 registered cases. As a result, a total of fourteen suspects, including Apandi, Muhammad Salim Saif, Naufal KP, Riyaz KS, Naufal, Arshad, and Ashiq MP, have been apprehended.
After the arrest of the accused, it was revealed that six cases had been registered in Bengaluru city, uncovering a staggering fraud of approximately Rs. 2.10 crores. Furthermore, it has come to light that the accused are implicated in 546 cases reported via the National Cyber Crime Portal, Help Line. Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B. Dayanand has confirmed that efforts are underway to locate additional suspects who are currently evading authorities in connection with these cases.
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