Cyber fraud syndicate linked to China busted, 3 arrested
NEW DELHI: Three men were arrested in connection with a cyber fraud syndicate operating across states and channelling cheated money to China via USDT and cryptocurrency platforms, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Mahender Singh Rajawat (25), who supplied bank accounts and coordinated with one Sarvesh for USDT transactions; Ariph Khan (25), who was in contact with Chinese handlers, provided accounts for transactions, and coordinated withdrawals and crypto conversions; and Laxmi Narayan Vaishy (23), who facilitated the laundering of fraud proceeds.
'A complaint was lodged by K. Kant, who mentioned that he was contacted via social media with a proposition to earn money by posting positive reviews for hotels and restaurants online. Initially, the complainant received small payments for such tasks,' a senior police officer said.
However, he was soon deceived into transferring over Rs 15.8 lakh under various false pretences, such as welfare tasks, account unfreezing, and credit score improvement.
'Though the complainant had deleted the contact number and the fraudulent link, the team conducted a detailed technical analysis and tracked the money trail, leading to multiple raids in Jaipur, Ajmer, and nearby regions. Later, accused Rajawat was nabbed. He revealed the roles of co-accused Ariph Khan and Laxmi Narayan Vaishy. Multiple raids were carried out at their hideouts, and both Khan and Vaishy were apprehended,' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said.
Six smartphones, calling devices, and SIM cards used in the fraud were recovered. The devices contained chats and contact details of the Chinese handlers, along with records of cryptocurrency transactions via USDT. 'It was revealed that Khan and Vaishy were in direct contact with a Chinese national operating via Telegram from outside India. They provided multiple bank accounts for laundering the proceeds of crime. The cheated money was deposited into these accounts, withdrawn within 20 minutes, and converted to USDT (cryptocurrency),' the DCP said.
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