New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted a cyber fraud racket which duped people by sending them malicious mobile application file links under the pretext of resolving credit card issues and arrested a key accused from Jharkhand's Jamtara, an official said on Saturday.
The accused, 48-year-old Sanaul Miyan, allegedly worked with another fraudster to dupe people by sending them a malicious Android Package Kit (.APK) file, he said.
"Miyan, from Deogarh district in Jharkhand, was nabbed after a sustained investigation into a complaint registered on April 17. The complainant was allegedly duped of Rs 15 lakh after a fake bank customer care agent lured him into sharing his mobile screen," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said.
The complainant had been contacted by a person who introduced himself as Akash Verma, posing as an assistant bank manager. During a call, the accused promised to help the complainant link two bank accounts and convinced him to install a malicious app, he added.
Once the app was installed and the screen was shared, Rs 15 lakh was siphoned off from the complainant's accounts, the officer said.
A case was registered and during technical analysis, investigators traced the suspect's location to Jamtara, in Jharkhand -- a known hotspot for cybercrime.
Following continued surveillance and monitoring of internet activity, a raid was conducted in the Karmatand area, leading to the arrest of Miyan, the DCP said.
Two mobile phones were recovered from his possession. "Preliminary examination of the devices revealed incriminating evidence such as WhatsApp chats, call recordings, screenshots of banking credentials, and malicious .APK files," the officer added.
During interrogation, Miyan admitted to working with an accomplice Waseem alias Pachu, who is currently absconding. He told investigators that his accomplice created fake online advertisements for bank customer service numbers, Veer said.
When people would search for customer care numbers, they would land on these ads and contact the fraudsters.
"Waseem would then ask the caller to download an app to resolve their banking issue. Once installed, the app would allow remote access to the caller's device. They used this access to steal banking information and siphon off money," the officer added.
Miyan also revealed that they received 50 to 60 calls a day and typically defrauded four to five people daily. He also arranged mule bank accounts through a messaging application and handed them over to Waseem to route the stolen money, the officer said.
The arrested accused has a previous criminal record, with one case registered in outernorth Delhi, the DCP said, adding that efforts are on to arrest the accomplice and other members of the syndicate.