The Delhi Police have busted a Mewat-based cyber fraud racket that allegedly impersonated Indian Air Force and Army officials using forged documents to cheat businessmen, said officials on Friday. The accused have been identified as Manish (22), Kaushal (22), Amir (24) and Rizwan Ahmed (30), they added.
The accused allegedly cheated a businessman of Rs 5,06,415 on the pretext of placing an order of aluminous laterite (industrial grade 40–45%) for the Indian Air Force. According to the police, the complainant approached them after receiving a forged purchase order supposedly issued by the Indian Air Force. Posing as air force officials, the accused convinced the complainant to dispatch industrial materials.
After the consignment was sent, the complainant was asked to deposit money for vendor registration and account mapping, with the fraudsters claiming he was not an approved vendor. When the complainant suspected foul play, he informed the police. Based on the complaint, a case was registered at a Crime Branch police station under sections related to forgery and cheating by impersonation.
During the investigation, the police conducted technical analysis and found that the SIM cards used by the accused were issued in Bulandshahar, Uttar Pradesh, but were being operated from Nuh district in Haryana’s Mewat region. A special team of the Inter-State Cell (ISC) traced and arrested two SIM card subscribers. They were identified as Manish, a resident of Bulandshahar, and Kaushal, a resident of Aligarh.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Amir and Rizwan Ahmed, both residents of Nuh in Haryana. The police said the accused disclosed that multiple SIM cards were procured in different names and supplied to cyber fraudsters involved in cheating businessmen by impersonating Army and Indian Air Force officers. The accused allegedly used forged purchase orders and fabricated documents to create the impression of genuine government procurement deals.
Investigators found that the network relied on bank accounts and SIM cards obtained by using names of different individuals to conceal identities and evade law enforcement agencies. The accused revealed they supplied around 30 SIM cards at Rs 1,500 each, while six bank accounts were arranged at Rs 6,000 per account to be used for cyber fraud activities.
According to the police, several youths were running similar cyber crime operations targeting businessmen across states from remote areas in Nuh. The Crime Branch said accused Rizwan Ahmed was previously involved in an attempt-to-murder case registered at Haryana’s Palwal in 2016. All four accused have been arrested and sent to judicial custody. Non-bailable warrants have been issued against the absconding accused and raids are underway to apprehend other members of the syndicate, said the police.
