Posing as delivery boys, cops nab card cheat from Jharkhand forest
NEWDELHI:Disguised as delivery boys of an online shopping company, a Delhi Police team last week arrested the member of a gang which operated out of the Naxal-infested forests of Jharkhand and duped people of their money by convincing them to share their credit/debit card details.
Sandeep Mandal was arrested following a complaint of card fraud registered at Dwarka North police station. The gang,led by one Pintu Mandal, has over a dozen members, police said.
The gang used to call people, posing as ‘bank executives’ and tricked them into sharing their card details. They would threaten them that their cards will be blocked and their account will be frozen, if they failed to ‘renew’ their cards on time.
After getting the details, they used the cards on online shopping sites or transferred money from to multiple e-wallets. They bought data of card holders from other gangs.
Police said Pintu Mandal is an insurgent who is wanted by several states police for his alleged involvement in Maoist activities. Pintu and his wife Anjali have been running their racket from the forests of Giridih that are dominated by the Maoists. Police said their links are spread across Giridih, Latehar and Palamu districts.
A Nikon digital camera, three high-end mobile phones, branded shoes and other expensive electronic and daily use items worth over ₹0 lakh were recovered from Sandeep. The seized items were purchased online with the stolen money.
Surender Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said, “Even after multiple raids conducted at their possible hideouts by our teams, the Pintu and Anjali could not be caught. They have strong support from local villagers, who at times indulge in violence with police raiding teams to shield the cheats.”
Senior police officers believe that hundreds of such gangs are operating out of Jharkhand and Bihar. Police suspect that the fraudulently earned money is also used in Maoist activities.
According to a senior officer, on an average 20 to 30 complaints of cyber fraud are lodged daily at police stations across Delhi. Sources said since catching the cheats and busting their gangs is a long-drawn affair, the police simply convert complaints into FIRs and later declare the cases unsolved.
A senior police officer explained, “First, these gangs operate from remote areas in Jharkhand and Bihar, most of which are insurgency affected. Secondly, the gang members have temporary bases which they change frequently. Also, there is always a possibility of backlash from locals during police raid.”
During the interrogation, Sandeep Mandal confirmed taht they would set up their base temporarily to evade the police. “The gang used stolen mobile phones, illegally procured SIM cards, earphones and laptops for online cheating. They built makeshift huts on trees and operated from there ,” the officer said. Banks Don’t ask For carD DEtails, incluDinG passworDs or account numbErs
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