Delhi Police’s Central District has busted a syndicate involved in impersonation of bank account holders and arrested two accused for defrauding bank officials of Rs 22.56 lakh through fraudulent Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) instructions, officials said on Thursday.

Assets worth approximately Rs 2.50 crore, including gold jewellery, 101 gold coins, cash and a SUV, have been seized in the present and connected cases.

One of the arrested accused was also found to be a proclaimed offender who had been absconding for more than seven years in a forged currency case, police said.

The case originated from a complaint filed by the Branch Manager of Bank of India, Rajendra Place, New Delhi. On August 5, a person impersonating Deepak Malhotra, a director associated with multiple corporate entities maintaining accounts at the branch, contacted bank officials.

According to the police, the caller initially discussed creating a Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) worth Rs 1 crore to gain the officials’ confidence.

He later contacted them, claiming that the company needed to make a payment but had exhausted its cheque book. He requested that the transaction be processed through email.

The accused sent a forged payment request using an email ID closely resembling the company’s registered address. The email, bearing a forged company letterhead, instructed the bank to transfer Rs 22,56,922 to another account.

When bank officials sought mandatory indemnity documents, the caller pressured them by claiming that similar transactions had been processed earlier and stressing the urgency of the payment. The bank subsequently processed the fraudulent RTGS transfer.

An e-FIR was registered at the Cyber Police Station of Central District under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the investigation, police traced the defrauded amount to a mule bank account maintained with Bandhan Bank in West Bengal. Technical analysis of telecom records, digital evidence and communication details helped investigators identify the suspects.

A police team led by Sub-Inspector Kamlesh Kumar arrested the accused, identified as Vinay Kumar Yadav, 36, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and Anil Kumar Sehgal, 65, a resident of Noida.

The investigation revealed that the accused used forged company letterheads, deceptive email IDs, social engineering and mule accounts to target corporate bank transactions. The money was subsequently diverted into other assets, including gold purchased from a jeweller in West Bengal.

Police said both accused had previous criminal involvement in financial fraud cases across several locations, including Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Ayodhya and Faridabad. They allegedly became acquainted while in jail and had previously been associated with cheque-related frauds involving so-called magic pens.

The arrests have also helped police work out six similar cases registered in Gurugram, Palwal and Delhi, involving fraud amounts ranging from Rs 16.65 lakh to Rs 2.98 crore, along with an attempted fraud of Rs 88 lakh.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, on Thursday said he had spoken with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh in the wake of Cyclone Arnab and assured them of all possible assistance to mitigate the hardships faced by people affected by the disaster.

In a post on social media platform X, HM Shah said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs) had launched rescue and relief operations.

“In the wake of Cyclone Arnab, spoke with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and assured them of every assistance to mitigate the hardship of the people in the face of the disaster. NDRF and SDRF teams have sprung into action and are continuing rescue and relief operations on a war footing. IMCTs will soon be sent to assess the impact and further assistance required. The Government of India stands with the people with resolute commitment,” HM Shah said.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its latest weather bulletin on Thursday, said Cyclonic Storm Arnab had weakened into a deep depression and was likely to further weaken into a depression by Thursday morning, followed by a well-marked low-pressure area in the evening.

At least 17 districts in southern Odisha have been affected by heavy rainfall triggered by the cyclone, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday.

In Andhra Pradesh, five people lost their lives, prompting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to announce a relief and compensation package for affected families, farmers, fishermen and businesses.

In other parts of the country, rainfall activity is likely to ease considerably across Kerala, with daytime temperatures expected to rise. In Telangana, isolated places in 12 districts are likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds on Thursday.

Rainfall is also expected to intensify in parts of Jharkhand and continue until Friday. Gudabanda in East Singhbhum district recorded the highest rainfall, at 71.4 mm, since Wednesday evening, followed by Manjhari in West Singhbhum district, which received 64 mm.

Meanwhile, Cyclone Arnab brought back grim memories of Cyclone Hudhud, which battered the region 12 years ago. Although Arnab was less severe and did not make landfall in the city, strong winds continued throughout the night.

Extensive damage to the city’s green cover, uprooted electric poles, prolonged power outages and disrupted mobile network connectivity reminded residents of the destruction caused by Hudhud in October 2014.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged people to participate in the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s November 1 march at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, describing it as a movement to save democracy, stop alleged vote theft and protect the Constitution.

In a video message posted in Hindi on the social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi said the march was not for any particular political party but for the soul of India.

“Hello, let’s go to the Delhi Ramlila March. This is a march to save democracy, to stop vote theft, and to save the Constitution. This is not a march for any one political party; it’s a march for the soul of India,” he said.

Appealing to those dissatisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Congress leader urged them to join the protest.

“All those who are fed up with Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar. All those who want to save democracy and protect the Constitution, come. This is only one protest, a protest for the country,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi also sought to allay concerns about possible police action during the march, urging participants not to be intimidated.

“Don’t worry about the police, don’t worry about lathicharge, the BJP will not have the guts to try any of their antics. Come march with us, we will walk together to protect the Constitution, to protect the Indian nation. There is no need to panic,” he said.

He also appealed to student groups across political affiliations to participate, alleging that democratic freedoms and individual expression were under threat.

“I urge all student groups, regardless of your political affiliation, if you feel that India is under attack, if you feel you are under attack, your expression, your ideas, your way of thinking is under attack, come and join us,” he said.

Describing the proposed march as an important movement for the country, Rahul Gandhi added that he looked forward to seeing people participate.

The appeal comes as Congress prepares for a major show of strength at an INDIA bloc rally scheduled at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on November 1.

Meanwhile, the Opposition is also preparing to hold a mock Parliament at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Friday, during which it plans to stage a symbolic ‘public impeachment’ of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.