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Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Double scam: Fake law firm defrauds Bengaluru bizman trying to recover Rs 1.5 crore lost to cybercrooks; 1 held
BENGALURU: A city businessman looking to install solar plants recently fell prey to cybercriminals, not once but twice. Believing the claims of an online group, he initially transferred Rs 1.5 crore and then, in his desperate bid to recover it, lost an additional Rs 12.5 lakh to another gang of scamsters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In Feb, he had transferred Rs 1.5 crore in different instalments to an online group after he came across their offer of installing solar plants. He tried to get legal aid after realising he was conned. After searching online, he found a firm, Quickmoto Legal Service, and the representatives promised help to get back his lost money. For this, they made him shell out Rs 12.5 lakh. It was only later he discovered that he was taken for a ride again. Following a complaint, police swung into action and Sunday, arrested the prime accused who was involved in setting up a fake legal assistance office at Kasturinagar, east Bengaluru. Tufail Ahmed alias Chota Ahmed Mubarak, 27, a resident of Kothanur in Tamil Nadu, has an engineering degree in electronics and communication. Tufail's elder brother, who is based in Dubai, is the kingpin of the racket. "We found that Quickmoto Legal Service had no office in the city. The accused was running a call centre, under the name India Legal Service, in a house in Kasturinagar. Several tele-callers were employed at Kasturinagar, using a communication platform called Zoiper-5 to contact victims via VoIP calls. Tufail's elder brother conspired with others to establish multiple fake companies under different names to facilitate online scams," an officer said. The tele-callers assured victims of recovering their lost money and collected payments by online mode, thereby cheating unsuspecting victims, the officer said, adding, "Soon, we'll arrest some tele-callers, as there're also aware of the scam." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the businessman had filed a complaint in the cybercrime portal. Central Crime Branch sleuths, led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Hilori and deputy commissioner of police Raja Imam Kasim led the investigation.
Mint
04-08-2025
- Mint
Fake companies, 11 SIM cards and cheque books: How cops busted cybercrime network providing fake services in Bengaluru
Bangalore City Police Department's Central Crime Branch (CCB) and the Cyber Crime Police Station have busted a large cybercrime network which was providing fake online legal services to citizens who were victims of cyber fraud, reported PTI. The report added that based on a complaint lodged through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the operation was launched on 12 February 2025, at the Ramamurthy Nagar Police Station. It was alleged that the complainant was cheated of ₹ 1.5 crore by being lured into installing a solar plant. The victim discovered a website called "Quickmoto Legal Service" while searching online for legal help to recover his lost money. Soon several telecallers who are self-proclaimed representatives contacted him and he lost another 12.5 lakhs in stages. Later, the case was transferred to the CCB and a special team was formed under the leadership of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ajay Hillori. During the probe, it was found that the company "quickmoto legal" was not present at the address. Also, a call centre operating under the name "India Legal Service" in Kasthurinagar, Bangalore, was under operation. The probe further pointed out that several tele callers were employed and the cyber fraud victims were being called using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) based application called Zoiper-5. Also, the police came to know that he accused's brother, who was based in Dubai, had set up several fake companies and built a casual network for online fraud. He set up a fake company called "India Legal" in Kasthurinagar, where he hired 12 telecallers and cheated the cyber victims by promising to refund their money. The police produced the prime accused before the court and remanded in 7-day police custody. When the premises at 7 locations were searched, 10 computer hard disks, seals of fake companies, lease agreements, check books, and other documents were seized. Additionally, one mobile phone, 1 CPU, 11 Vodafone SIM cards, and SIP trunk server system data items were seized. The police confirmed the organisation is involved in illegal financial transactions worth crores of rupees, and over 29 cases across India have been registered against this network on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Meanwhile, a probe to identify and trace more individuals involved in this network is underway and is being led by Crime Branch's DCP, Raja Imam Qasim. He, along with the technical assistance of the Department of Telecommunications and in collaboration with Tata Teleservices, have tracked down the accused and arrested them. The Bangalore Police informed that the operation was planned by Bangalore City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, under the command of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajay Hilori and under the supervision of DCP Crime, Raja Imam Kasim.
Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Indian Express
Offering legal aid, Bengaluru engineer swindles Rs 12.5 lakh from cybercrime victim who had lost Rs 1.5 crore
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police on Monday announced the arrest of a 37-year-old engineer for allegedly defrauding a cybercrime victim who had already lost Rs 1.5 crore with fictitious legal assistance online. The police identified the arrested accused as Chota Ahammed Mubaraq, also known as Tufail, a BE in Electronics and Communication graduate who is originally from Tamil Nadu but was residing in Kothanur, Bengaluru. Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, said the complaint in the case was filed at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station in February. 'The victim lost Rs 12.5 lakh while seeking legal help online after cybercriminals conned him out of Rs 1.5 crore,' he added. A search for help led the complainant to Quickmoto Legal Service, a fabricated company operated by Tufail, according to the police, who found that the company had no physical address. However, during the investigation, the police located India Legal Service, a call centre in Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, where Tufail had allegedly recruited 12 telecallers to contact cybercrime victims. They allegedly used Zoiper-5, a free Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, to conceal their location from law enforcement. The operation was designed to target vulnerable individuals already victimised by cybercrimes. 'Tufail has a brother in Dubai who created multiple companies for cybercrime activities. Tufail exploited cybercrime victims by charging bogus service fees and legal charges,' a police officer said. The police said that during raids at the call centre, they seized substantial evidence including 10 hard disks, seven counterfeit company seals, rent agreements, cheque books, documents, a mobile phone, a CPU, 11 Vodafone SIM cards, and an SIP (session initiation protocol) trunk server facilitating VoIP communications. The police said that 29 cases had been registered against the firm across the country over illegal transactions worth crores of rupees. 'The probe is now being expanded to trace and dismantle the larger syndicate,' an investigating officer stated.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Time of India
Fake legal firm cons businessman trying to recover Rs 1.5 crore lost to cybercrooks; 1 held
Bengaluru: A city businessman looking to install solar plants recently fell prey to cybercriminals, not once but twice. Believing the claims of an online group, he initially transferred Rs 1.5 crore and then, in his desperate bid to recover it, lost an additional Rs 12.5 lakh to another gang of scamsters. In Feb, he had transferred Rs 1.5 crore in different instalments to an online group after he came across their offer of installing solar plants. He tried to get legal aid after realising he was conned. After searching online, he found a firm, 'Quickmoto Legal Service', and the representatives promised help to get back his lost money. For this, they made him shell out Rs 12.5 lakh. It was only later he discovered that he was taken for a ride again. Following a complaint, police swung into action and on Sunday, arrested the prime accused who was involved in setting up a fake legal assistance office at Kasturi Nagar. Tufail Ahmed alias Chota Ahmed Mubarak, 27, a resident of Kothanur in Tamil Nadu, has an engineering degree in electronics and communication. Tufail's elder brother, who is based in Dubai, is the kingpin of the racket. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "We found that 'Quickmoto Legal Service' had no office in the city. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo The accused was running a call centre, under the name India Legal Service, in a house in Kasturi Nagar. Several tele-callers were employed at Kasturi Nagar, using a communication platform called Zoiper-5 to contact victims via VoIP calls. Tufail's elder brother conspired with others to establish multiple fake companies under different names to facilitate online scams," an officer said. The tele-callers assured victims of recovering their lost money and collected payments by online mode, thereby cheating unsuspecting victims, the officer said, adding, "Soon, we'll arrest some tele-callers, as there're also aware of the scam." Police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the businessman had filed a complaint in the cybercrime portal. Central crime branch sleuths, led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Hilori and deputy commissioner of police Raja Imam Kasim led the investigation.
Hindustan Times
04-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru police bust cybercrime racket offering fake legal services to fraud victims
In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and Cyber Crime Police Station of the Bengaluru City Police have busted a large-scale cyber fraud network that duped victims by offering fake online legal services. The operation was launched following a complaint registered on February 12, 2025. The operation was launched following a complaint registered on February 12, 2025, at the Ramamurthy Nagar Police Station through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, news agency PTI reported. The complainant alleged he was cheated of ₹1.5 crore after being lured into installing a solar plant. (Also Read: Bengaluru auto driver spotted listening to Naval Ravikant podcast while driving, internet amazed) While searching online for legal assistance to recover the lost money, the victim came across a website named Quickmoto Legal Service. Soon after, multiple individuals claiming to represent the company contacted the victim and promised legal help. Convinced by their assurances, the complainant transferred ₹12.5 lakh in stages, only to later find out that the company itself was a fraud. The case was transferred to the CCB's Cyber Crime Station for further investigation. A special team was formed under the leadership of Mr Ajay Hilori, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime). Investigators found that Quickmoto Legal had no physical presence at its listed address. Digging deeper, the team discovered a call centre operating under the name India Legal Service in Kasturinagar, Bengaluru. A preliminary investigation revealed that multiple telecallers had been hired to contact cyber fraud victims using the VoIP-based application Zoiper-5. One key individual from the call centre was arrested. Further investigation uncovered that the mastermind behind the racket was operating from Dubai. He had set up several fake companies and a network dedicated to online scams. One of the companies, India Legal, was used as a front for this operation. It employed 12 telecallers who lured cyber fraud victims by promising to help recover their money. The prime accused was produced in court and remanded to seven days of police custody. Searches conducted across seven call centres led to the seizure of 10 computer hard drives, fake company seals, lease agreements, cheque books, and other incriminating documents. Authorities also recovered one mobile phone, one CPU, 11 Vodafone SIM cards, and SIP trunk server system data. Police have confirmed that the organisation was involved in illegal financial transactions running into crores of rupees. Over 29 cases have been registered against this network across India on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The investigation is ongoing to identify and apprehend other individuals involved in the scam. The operation was executed under the leadership of DCP (Crime-2) Mr. Raja Imam Qasim, with technical support from the Department of Telecommunications and in coordination with Tata Teleservices. The entire operation was conceptualised and monitored by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Mr. Seemanth Kumar Singh, IPS, with oversight from Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Mr. Ajay Hilori and DCP (Crime-2) Mr. Raja Imam Qasim. The investigating team included Mr. Santosh Ram, Mr. Umesh Kumar, PSI Kuber, PSI Ashwini, ASI Shanthakumar, Vanraj, Naveen, Sridevi, and technical experts Sunil and Kiran Teli. (With PTI inputs) (Also Read: Karnataka sets up Anti-Narcotic Task Force to tackle drug related crimes in state)
