Jamshedpur, Jan. 6: Twenty four hours after busting a gang of cyber criminals by arresting one Rahul Kumar Mishra, the police on Monday arrested two more youths involved in the racket which was running at the steel city since the past three years. Those arrested today were identified as Dhiraj Kumar and Rakesh Kumar Mahto.
Upendra Mandal, inspector, Cyber police station in Bistupur said that during probe they four that it was a seven-member gang of cyber criminals who were running the racket of illegally taking out money from people’s bank account.
Mondal said the main accused in the racket, Mahesh Poddar has fled the city along with his girl friend as the police started cracking on the gang having got a complaint from a youth, Nitesh Kumar Singh, who is a resident of Parsudih on Saturday.
” During investigation we found that Nitesh after getting to know that Poddar was setting up a business of selling motor spare-parts he had sought job. Poddar had offered him Rs 15,000 a month as salary and while appointing him, he (Poddar) had got Nitesh to open three bank accounts in as many banks. Poddar had claimed that in one of the accounts, he (Nitesh) will get his salary, in other account he would get the dues of Provident Fund and in yet another account he will receive the vehicle allowance.
Poddar had, however, kept the passbooks and ATM cards of all the three bank accounts with him, showing the reason that the employee (Nitesh) will remain under his control. But Poddar was actually using Nitesh’s bank accounts in collecting money from the victims of cyber crime and would get the money transferred to his own bank accounts,” explained the inspector Mondal.
Speaking about the modus operandi, Mondal said the racketeers Poddar and his key associate, Rahul Kumar Keshri, had opened websites for various banks’ customer care service. Whenever any account holder tried to access to the customer care service by searching the number in Google, the cyber criminals would given a link to the customer. He pointed out as soon as the customer clicks the link, the criminals get every details of the customers, including the bank account number. Then they immediately get the amount tapped off from the customer’s account and first get it deposit in the account of victims like Nitesh Kumar Singh and get the money transferred to other account.
A police official said that with the city going hi-tech, cybercrime cases are also on the rise. He pointed out that people should be aware of the recruitment processes of major companies in order to avoid being duped. They should also come forward to prefer a complaint rather than withdrawing into a shell and being secretive about the whole incident. Their complaints will help saving other people from becoming victims, he added.
