₹49L extortion case: Six nabbed in Lucknow

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has busted a major online extortion syndicate, arresting six of its key operatives from Lucknow, an officer said on Sunday.

The action came during the investigation on a complaint of a 71-year-old woman, who was allegedly duped of Rs 49 lakh by some people who kept her under digital confinement for nearly 24 hours, impersonating law-enforcement personnel, he said.

According to the police, the fraudsters called and told the victim that she had been involved in a criminal case, and intimidated her through continuous video calls. The constant pressure broke her and led to her transferring money into multiple bank accounts controlled by the syndicate.

As part of the investigation, a crime branch team conducted raids in Aminabad, Hasanganj, Madey Ganj and Sadar Cantt areas of Lucknow, leading to the arrests.

The six were identified as 19-year-old Vishal Tiwari and 53-year-old Shakeel Ahmad, and Mohd Ovais, Mohd Ahad, Mohd Atif, and Mohd Ujjaib, all aged 25, said the officer.

“The arrested men came from economically weak backgrounds and were recruited as mule account operators to facilitate the laundering of proceeds. Several of them worked in local shops, hotels and small trades, while one was facing trial in another criminal case,” said the officer.

During the investigation, the team found that the syndicate leveraged a host of bank accounts to move the defrauded funds. Once the money was transferred by the victim, it was routed instantly to other accounts and withdrawn from ATMs. A hunt is on for the other members of the gang, the officer said.