UP STF busts digi arrest scam, nabs 2 posing as officers

Lucknow: UP STF arrested two members of an organised gang involved in digital arrest fraud by impersonating officers of the CBI, Narcotics Control Bureau and Crime Branch. The arrests were made on Saturday in Lucknow.
Virendra Yadav, alias Suraj Yadav (29) and Surjeet Kumar (30) were arrested near a hotel in Khargapur locality of Gomtinagar Extension. Police recovered three mobile phones, two forged Aadhaar card copies, two cheques (including one signed cheque for Rs 5 lakh), a passbook, a SIM card linked to a fraudulent bank account, WhatsApp screenshots containing information about fraud-related bank kits and a white car.
Additional SP, STF, Amit Nagar, said STF received inputs about organised gangs impersonating senior enforcement officers to carry out digital arrest scams. "During interrogation, Virendra confessed they were in contact with cyber fraudsters who use messaging apps like Telegram to create groups offering commissions in exchange for providing bank accounts. Posing as officials from ED, CBI, etc, they would threaten individuals and extort money under the pretext of digital arrests. Fraudulently collected money was routed through multiple accounts, converted into USDT (a cryptocurrency) using the Binance app, and eventually laundered, leaving no direct trail," said ASP Nagar.
The accused revealed they also arranged current and corporate bank accounts, chequebooks, internet banking credentials and registered SIM cards to facilitate fraud. Bypass applications were used to circumvent OTP authentication for faster fund transfers.