Wednesday, 31 January 2024 | PNS |DEHRADUN
The cyber crime police station of Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested a Hawala operator from Gujarat’s Surat on charges of facilitating fake bank accounts and SIM cards in Dubai to carry out financial fraud in the country. The accused is allegedly involved in at least Rs 10 crore worth of cyber fraud. He is also linked to over 2,327 cyber crimes across the country including 36 criminal cases in Uttarakhand, the deputy superintendent of police of STF Ankush Mishra said.
The accused identified as Moradiya Hardik Kumar (32) is a resident of Surat and has been actively involved in cyber crimes and Hawala operations. The STF found during the investigation that the accused is associated with a total of 104 cases and 2,327 cyber crimes nationwide. He was apprehended from Surat based on technical evidence and intelligence gathered by Uttarakhand police. According to the investigation, the accused used fake sim cards, various mobile handsets and fake bank accounts to commit crimes. He also used to travel to Dubai and Thailand often to supply cyber fraud kits containing SIM cards and bank accounts, the DSP said.
The police also seized crucial items from his possession during the arrest including 42 debit cards, 30 chequebooks, 20 micro sim cards, a Dubai Metro card, a Dubai sim card, a passport, a card swiping machine and seals of three fake companies among other items. Kumar had planned to continue his cybercrime activities in Dubai but was taken into custody before executing his plans, Mishra claimed.
The seized items including documents and electronic devices have also provided crucial evidence against Kumar, exposing a national scam of about Rs 10 crores. He has allegedly committed fraud in multiple states like Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh. The accused had also planned to deliver 40 bank accounts to Dubai in a few days. The STF is investigating the matter and will connect with authorities of other states too, DSP added.
