Rajasthan: Udaipur Police bust gang of fraudsters targeting US citizens; 7 arrested

Jaipur, Aug 7 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the Udaipur Police in Rajasthan have exposed a cyber fraud gang that was duping American citizens by posing as loan providers.

Acting on the instructions of Superintendent of Police Yogesh Goyal, a team under the supervision of Additional SP Gopal Swaroop Mewada and CO Suryaveer Singh Rathore, carried out the operation.

According to SP Goyal, the gang was operating from a villa in Nadra village of Nai, Udaipur.

They were using technical tools to obtain personal details such as names, phone numbers, and addresses of US citizens.

Through Internet-based services like Google Voice, they would make calls and send messages impersonating bank representatives and offer loans without guarantees at attractive interest rates.

Victims were then asked to pay various charges such as processing fees, loan transfer charges, and insurance premiums, all in US dollars.

The fraudsters used this ploy to extract money from unsuspecting American citizens. Based on credible intelligence, the police raided the villa and arrested seven accused.

A detailed technical analysis of the recovered electronic gadgets revealed their modus operandi. The gang operated under the directions of a mastermind named Kuldeep, who communicated with the group through WhatsApp using a foreign number.

Kuldeep supplied them with personal information of US nationals and coordinated fraudulent activities remotely. Police have seized 9 laptops, 10 mobile phones, and other digital equipment from the accused.

Initial investigations reveal the group had only recently begun operations on August 6, but due to swift action and the vigilance of Constable Sandeep Kumar of Nai police station, their plans were quickly foiled.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Binoy (Ahmedabad, Gujarat), Vijay Singh (Morena, Madhya Pradesh), Neeraj (Mehsana, Gujarat), Abhishek Singh (Ahmedabad, Gujarat), Robin (Thane, Maharashtra), Cyril (Ahmedabad, Gujarat), and Omkar Ganesh Bhindi (Kolhapur, Maharashtra).

Constables Manoj Kumar and Praveen Singh also played key roles in the successful crackdown, along with SHO Nai Lilaram and Constable Sandeep Kumar, whose timely tip-off proved crucial, an official said.

--IANS

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