A cyber fraud incident has come to light where scammers, reportedly operating from Cambodia, duped Ritesh Srivastava, the accountant of Uttar Pradesh Minister Nand Gopal Gupta, of ₹2.08 crore. This elaborate scam highlights the increasing sophistication of international cybercrime networks.
How the Scam Unfolded
On November 13, Srivastava received a WhatsApp message appearing to be from Abhishek Gupta, the minister’s son and director of the company. The scammers used this impersonation tactic to gain Srivastava’s trust and access to sensitive company account details.
Believing the request was legitimate, Srivastava transferred money to three separate accounts, allegedly for urgent business purposes.
Investigation and Arrests
The Uttar Pradesh Cyber Police traced the fraud back to a network of scammers operating in Cambodia, Dubai, and Pakistan. On November 24, five suspects were arrested:
- Divyanshu Singh (24) from Patna
- Pulkit Dwivedi (20) from Mau
- Sanjeev Kumar Rai (41)
- Surjeet Singh (28)
- Vijay Kumar from Bareilly
Police recovered ₹12 lakh and froze the suspects’ bank accounts. The scammers reportedly used accounts linked to two entities: Globalisation Trading Private Limited and Galaxy Electronics, which handled ₹1.48 crore of the stolen funds.
Fraudulent Banking Operations
The scammers used over 22 bank accounts to funnel ₹1.21 crore, with plans to identify and freeze an additional 100 accounts tied to the fraudulent activities. The cyber police revealed that Divyanshu and Pulkit facilitated the setup of these accounts, luring victims with promises of high commissions for transactions.
Cambodia’s Connection
Authorities traced the initial scam message to a Cambodian call center, where local agents transferred the stolen funds. Inspector Rajeev Tiwari noted significant evidence linking Cambodian-based cyber criminals to this scam.
Rising Threat of Cyber Fraud
This incident underscores the need for heightened vigilance against increasingly complex cyber scams. As cybercrime networks expand globally, organizations and individuals must adopt robust security measures to protect their finances and sensitive information.
The Uttar Pradesh Cyber Police continue to investigate the case, aiming to bring all culprits to justice and recover the remaining stolen funds.
