Police have busted an alleged cyber fraud racket in the state capital, arresting 10 people and apprehending a minor during raids in the Sukhdeonagar police station and Pandra Outpost areas. The police seized Rs 7.98 lakh in cash, 36 mobile phones, a laptop and a large number of banking documents from the accused.
According to police, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) received information on October 13 that a group of people was allegedly operating an organised cyber fraud racket from rented flats in Parashar Apartment near Piska More and Malti Apartment near Jatra Maidan.
After verifying the information, a special team was formed under the direction of the City Superintendent of Police and led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (Kotwali) Nikhil Rai. Two teams subsequently conducted simultaneous raids at the identified locations.
During the operation, police recovered Rs 7,98,100 in cash, 36 mobile phones of various brands, one laptop, 32 ATM cards, five bank passbooks and a cheque book. The seized items also included five Aadhaar cards, eight PAN cards, 12 SIM cards, three driving licences and one National Pension System (NPS) Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN) card.
Police also recovered 25 notebooks containing names, mobile numbers and alleged financial transaction records, along with a microSD card and two Airtel Payments Bank smart speaker/receiver devices. A Pulsar motorcycle was also seized during the raids.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ritik Kumar Singh, Ajit Kumar Mehta alias Ajit Kumar Kushwaha, Suraj Kumar Singh, Amandeep Kumar, Surajdev Kumar, Amit Ranjan, Avinash Kumar, Rajkamal Verma, Ranjit Kumar and Satyam Kumar Verma. According to police, they hail from different police station areas of Palamu and Garhwa districts.
An FIR has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Case No. 252/26. Police are investigating the alleged racket and examining the seized electronic devices, banking documents and notebooks to establish the extent of the operation and identify possible links to other cases.