LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) Lucknow unit arrested four alleged members of an organised cyber fraud syndicate accused of activating SIM cards in the names of unsuspecting people by luring them with promises of government welfare benefits and easy money, before using the SIMs to create UPI IDs that were allegedly exploited for financial fraud through online gaming applications.The accused were arrested on the night of July 9 from Awas Vikas Colony under Kotwali Sadar police station in Lakhimpur Kheri district following a targeted operation by the STF.The arrested accused have been identified as Abhishek Verma, Neeraj Verma, Ravideep Kumar, and Adesh Verma. STF receives inputs on organised cyber fraud networkAccording to the STF, it had been receiving intelligence inputs for several weeks about a gang operating in Lakhimpur Kheri and neighbouring districts that allegedly duped people by promising them benefits under various government welfare schemes and opportunities to earn quick money.Acting on the information, STF headquarters in Lucknow constituted a team under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Avanishwar Chandra Srivastava to gather intelligence and identify members of the syndicate.During surveillance in Lakhimpur Kheri, the STF received specific intelligence that several members of the gang were present in Awas Vikas Colony. Acting swiftly, the team conducted a raid and apprehended the four accused.Large cache of SIM cards and digital equipment seizedDuring the search, STF recovered a substantial quantity of material allegedly used in the cyber fraud operation.The seizure included 324 activated SIM cards, eight mobile phones, one Morpho fingerprint authentication device, six ATM cards belonging to different banks, two Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, one PhonePe identity card, two two-wheelers, and Rs 58,000 in cash.Investigators suspect the recovered equipment was being used to create and operate multiple digital identities for carrying out fraudulent financial transactions.Modus operandiDuring preliminary interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that they were part of an organised syndicate involved in cyber-enabled financial fraud.According to the STF, the gang targeted people by promising assistance in obtaining benefits under various government welfare schemes or by offering opportunities to earn higher income through different schemes.After gaining the victims’ trust, the accused allegedly persuaded them to activate SIM cards in their names. These SIM cards were then linked to their digital identity and used to create UPI IDs without their knowledge or for purposes different from those represented to them.The accused allegedly used these UPI accounts to route transactions through various online gaming applications, enabling fraudulent movement of funds and cheating unsuspecting victims.Investigators are now examining whether the UPI IDs were also used as mule accounts for cyber fraud proceeds and are analysing the financial trail linked to the recovered SIM cards and banking instruments.Case registeredBased on the STF’s complaint, Kotwali Sadar police station in Lakhimpur Kheri has registered Case Crime No. 531/2026 under Sections 112, 317(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating by personation using computer resources.The accused have been handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings.Police officials said the investigation is underway to identify other members of the syndicate, ascertain the number of victims, trace the financial transactions carried out through the fraudulently created UPI IDs, and determine whether the network has links with larger interstate cybercrime syndicates.
