Patna: A joint team of Bihar Cyber Crime and Security Unit and Patna Cyber Police arrested four suspects and busted a cyberfraud network that allegedly cheated people of around Rs 3 crore across several states and abroad.The operation was conducted on Monday following a technical analysis of complaints and suspicious digital activities reported on various cybercrime portals. Police traced a suspicious mobile number to the Kankarbagh-Transport Nagar area of Patna and raided the location, leading to the arrest of Pratosh Kumar.Cyber DSP Sangeeta Kumari said on Tuesday that during his interrogation and subsequent technical investigation, police identified other members of the alleged network. Guddu Kumar and Anshu Kumar were arrested from Nalanda, while Vicky Kumar was apprehended from Kankarbagh in Patna. Four other suspects were reportedly absconding.According to the DSP, the gang allegedly worked with a telecom company’s store employees and distributors to create mobile numbers resembling a private bank’s customer-care number by removing the first digit from the original number.The suspects allegedly posed as bank employees and targeted people on the pretext of increasing credit-card limits, updating bank accounts, redeeming reward points and updating electricity bills. They allegedly used bank accounts, SIM cards and other digital resources registered in different people’s names to receive and transfer the defrauded money.Police said the accused frequently changed locations across Patna, Nalanda, Gaya and Sheikhpura to conceal their identities.Five mobile phones, a cheque book, two bank accounts and five SIM cards were recovered during the operation. Police said 385 complaints on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal were linked to the recovered mobile numbers and digital resources.
