Husband-wife duo held in ₹1.79 cr online scam

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, in coordination with the Chennai Cyber Crime Police, has arrested a husband and wife in connection with a major online fraud involving the siphoning of nearly Rs 1.79 crore.

The accused were identified as Ranjana Maurya, wife of Shivanand Maurya, and Shivanand Maurya (44), son of Mangal Maurya, both residents of Wazirabad, Delhi. They were apprehended from their residence in Jharoda, under the jurisdiction of Wazirabad police station, on September 9.

Police said the couple was wanted in an FIR registered at Ashok Nagar Police Station, Chennai, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Chennai Police had alerted their Delhi counterparts after it was found that a bank account in Ranjana Maurya’s name was used to route the defrauded money.

Acting on this information, the AEKC Crime Branch formed a special team led by Inspector Daleep Kumar under the supervision of ACP Pankaj Arora. In coordination with Tamil Nadu Police, raids were carried out at the couple’s residence and workplace, leading to their arrest.

During interrogation, the duo admitted that they had allowed one Imran, a resident of Meerut, to use Ranjana’s bank account for fraudulent transactions. Imran allegedly transferred Rs 5 lakh into the account, which the couple withdrew and handed over to him, keeping Rs 1 lakh as commission. Despite subsequent raids in Meerut, Imran remains absconding.

Investigations revealed that Ranjana, originally from Hyderabad and educated up to Class 12, is a housewife, while Shivanand hails from Uttar Pradesh. Both were produced before a local court and granted transit remand till September 12 for further proceedings in Chennai. Authorities said efforts are underway to trace Imran and recover the siphoned funds.