New Delhi: Three men were arrested from Noida for their alleged involvement in a cyber investment fraud network, with Delhi Police’s cyber police station in Dwarka recovering 40 mobile phones, 146 SIM cards, 86 debit cards, three laptops and other banking documents from them. The accused were identified as Piyush Bala (28), a resident of Jaitpur; Bharath G Poojary (32), a resident of Udupi; and Suraj Kumar (24), a resident of Uttar Pradesh.DCP (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said the case was registered after a woman from Sector 16, Dwarka, filed a complaint alleging she came across an investment-related advertisement while scrolling through a social media platform in June.She was subsequently added to a Telegram group named “Funds Invest”, where members and admins allegedly shared investment tips and lured her with promises of exceptionally high returns from the stock market. One of the accused later contacted her on WhatsApp, explained investment plans and provided bank account details to transfer money.The complainant transferred Rs 3 lakh to an account with Utkarsh Small Finance Bank on July 16 and another Rs 2.5 lakh to an account with DCB Bank on July 19. A total of Rs 5.5 lakh was allegedly transferred to the accounts provided by the accused.An e-FIR was registered at cyber police station, Dwarka, on July 19 under sections 318(4), 319, 61(2) and 3(5) of BNS.During the investigation, police traced the beneficiary of DCB Bank account and developed technical and financial leads. A team subsequently raided a residential group housing society in Sector 137, Noida and apprehended the three accused.Police said the accused disclosed that they had come into contact with other alleged associates through Instagram. They allegedly handled account logins and payment verification and provided mobile phones and banking materials, including passbooks, cheque books, welcome kits, debit cards and SIM cards.Apart from the phones, SIM cards and laptops, police recovered 28 cheque books, 18 passbooks, three passports, Rs 1 lakh in cash and a Wi-Fi router.Police said six NCRP complaints registered in Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka were found linked to accounts recovered from the accused, involving an alleged cheated amount of around Rs 4 lakh.The recovered digital and banking material is being analysed to trace the money trail and identify other associates. Further investigation is under way.
