New Delhi, Sep 24: The Delhi Police have busted a cyber fraud racket involving impersonation as Axis Bank customer-care officials and arrested four people in connection with a Rs 1.19 lakh fraud case, officials said on Thursday.

According to police, the accused posed as bank officials and cheated a credit-card holder on the pretext of cancelling a fictitious annual maintenance charge plan and issuing a new credit card. The fraudsters allegedly used virtual phone numbers, fake service-request details and a third-party payment application to gain the victim’s confidence.

The accused siphoned off Rs 1,19,837 through multiple UPI transactions routed through the CheQ application. Eight mobile phones were also recovered, while technical analysis of one of the devices reportedly linked it to 32 other complaints.

The case came to light after complainant Yash Sharma received a call on July 16 from a person allegedly posing as an Axis Bank credit-card official. The caller informed him about an AMC charge of Rs 2,499 and, when Sharma sought its cancellation, told him that he would receive a call from the bank’s customer-care department.

He subsequently received another call from a number allegedly used to impersonate Axis Bank customer care. The caller induced him to download the CheQ application, claiming it was required to cancel the AMC plan and issue a new credit card.

The victim was allegedly directed to make three UPI payments of Rs 2,538.81, Rs 58,647.68 and Rs 58,647.68, totalling Rs 1,19,834.17. Police said the accused also provided a fake service-request number and assured the victim that his new card would be activated within four hours and delivered within two days.

After the card did not arrive, the victim contacted genuine Axis Bank customer care on July 17 and was informed that no such request existed. He blocked his card and reported the matter through the Cyber Crime Portal. An e-FIR was subsequently registered at PS Cyber North under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

A dedicated team under the supervision of DCP North District Niharika Bhatt conducted technical and financial analysis of call-detail records, mobile numbers, Google account data, UPI transactions and beneficiary bank accounts.

The investigation traced the transaction trail to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account linked to Prince Kumar. Police said the account showed suspicious transactions exceeding Rs 12 lakh within five to seven days.

Prince Kumar, 20, was arrested from Aligarh on September 15. His interrogation led police to Vishal Tomar, 21, and Vishal Raghav, 27, both from Aligarh. Sanjay Verma, 40, of Uttam Nagar, was subsequently arrested.

Police said Verma had previously worked at a call centre in Noida and allegedly learned the modus operandi of impersonating bank officials. Investigators suspect the accused used the “Indy Number” application to generate virtual numbers resembling bank customer-care numbers and used CheQ to route the allegedly fraudulent funds.

Police said the network involved multiple roles, including arranging bank accounts, procuring SIM cards and withdrawing money through ATMs for commissions. The search for two other alleged associates, Bobby and Avtar, is underway.

Further investigation is being conducted to trace the complete financial trail, identify additional victims and establish the role of other members of the alleged network.

Patna, Sep 23: JDU national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan has said that the Bihar government has taken action against social media sites on which Jamui’s molestation victim’s video was circulated.

He added that action is being taken against 120 social media accounts that revealed the victim’s identity.

Ranjan was speaking to media in relation to the recent statement by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Jamui’s molestation case, where the latter said that “a criminal has no caste.”

Ranjan explained that if one examines the Chief Minister’s claim through data, it is clear that arrests in criminal cases have nothing to do with caste or religion. “If you have committed a crime, the police will not spare you,” he said.

He added that through the Jamui incident, Bihar has sent a strong message that such actions will not be spared.

“Action is also being taken against the social media sites on which the video was circulated. Action has been taken against 120 social media accounts,” he said.

Ranjan further stated that those who made the video, those who circulated it, those who displayed it on their platforms, and those who misbehaved with the minor girl are all being investigated thoroughly.

“Five of the accused have been arrested; the other two will be arrested soon. The state police have shown that criminals are going to face very tough times,” he concluded.

BJP chief spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo also reacted to the matter, saying: “How could one judge a criminal by their caste? I have never heard that criminals, rapists have a certain caste.” Commending the Bihar Police, he said the authorities took immediate and strict action against the culprits, made arrests, and two personnel were injured in the encounter. All of the accused were arrested, including minors.

Expressing that what happened to the girl was shameful and heartbreaking, Shahdeo said the National Commission for Women also took cognisance. A team from the commission is reaching the incident site. The Chief Minister has also announced that all the accused will be punished through a fast-track court. He criticised RJD, saying the party was looking for caste in this matter and had brought shame to the state.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Abhishek Dutt said that encounters were done after the molestation had already happened. “Encounters are done after the murder happens. Encounters are done after the crimes are committed. Who saves these criminals before the crimes are committed?” he asked.

He added that when the media pressures and everything comes out in public, the accused are easily found, evidence is found, and the encounter is done.

“What happens in the remaining 365 days?” he asked.

Continuing, Dutt said that if crime is given importance throughout the year, if there is no communal divide, and if strong actions are taken against all criminals, then there will be change.

“If vigilance is maintained before the crime happens, then no one will dare to commit such a heinous crime,” he said.

New Delhi, Sep 23: Congress leader Abhishek Dutt on Wednesday reacted to Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) shifting classes online following the alleged gang rape of a minor in Delhi’s Aastha Kunj Park, saying the move sends a ‘big message’ about women’s safety in the national capital.

“When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi,” Dutt said.

The remarks came as Lady Shri Ram College for Women cancelled regular classes on Tuesday and shifted them to online mode for Wednesday following the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at a park nearby, with the college administration stating that the safety of its students remained its top priority.

Speaking to media, Dutt said, “There is a big message for the country. LSR College is one of the top colleges in the world and its alumni are spread across the country. When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi.”

“Sadly, the people who raped the minor girl posed as police officers. The way several private individuals were seen carrying police batons at Jantar Mantar shows that the fear of the law has disappeared from the minds of criminals. Most Delhi Police officers are deployed for the security of VIPs, while the safety of ordinary people is being neglected,” he added.

Dutt also reacted to Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s direction to create a dedicated ‘Pink Force’ for women’s safety, questioning the existing deployment of women personnel and policing infrastructure in Delhi.

“The LG makes political statements. First, the LG should tell us how many women personnel are there in the Delhi Police. How many metro stations are there in Delhi, and do they have adequate policing? There is a shortage of around 12,000 security personnel in the Delhi Police. At least 50 police personnel remain deployed at the LG’s residence. Merely making statements will not achieve anything,” he said.

“The LG should immediately review the security provided to all MPs, MLAs, former MLAs and BJP leaders in Delhi, where anywhere between two and 50 police personnel have been deployed with them. If the Delhi Home Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Delhi Chief Minister, MLAs and MPs are not safe, then expecting the safety of ordinary people is a distant prospect,” Dutt added.

On Tuesday, Sandhu directed the police to draw up a dedicated force on the lines of the Goa Police’s Pink Force, with women personnel deployed at identified hotspots, particularly during vulnerable hours.

The move came amid four separate cases of alleged rape or sexual assault involving minors reported across Delhi in about 10 days.