Adilabad Police Arrest Rajasthan Man in Rs 5.3-Crore Inter-State Cyber Fraud

The Adilabad district police have arrested an inter-state cyber criminal, identified as 22-year-old Prakash Kumar of Rajasthan, for allegedly defrauding around 140 people across 19 states of more than Rs 5.30 crore through fraudulent mobile accessory sales on Instagram.

The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Sameer Syed, a mobile shop owner from Vaddur village in Ichoda mandal of Adilabad district. Addressing a press conference, Adilabad Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan stated that police seized two mobile phones and Rs 1 lakh in cash from the accused.

According to the police, the complainant was searching Instagram for mobile chargers, displays, and spare parts for his shop on July 25, 2026, when he came across an account named "Raj Led Mumbai." Syed contacted the phone number listed on the profile, where the operators claimed to supply mobile accessories and promised to dispatch the items via courier once payments were completed.

Between July 25 and August 8, 2026, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 2,18,000 via a QR code provided by the fraudsters. The accused then sent a courier receipt over WhatsApp, citing transport delays whenever delivery was questioned. On August 22, 2026, Syed was instructed to collect the parcel from a courier office in Ichoda and Adilabad, but found no such office. Realising he had been duped, he called the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 and filed a complaint.

The Ichoda police registered a case and traced the accused using technical evidence and cyber tracking. Further investigation revealed that Kumar had cheated approximately 140 victims across 19 states and union territories, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, with total fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs 5.3 crore.

Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan advised the public to avoid making advance payments to unknown online sellers offering electronics or accessories at unusually low rates. He urged citizens to verify credentials before transferring funds and to report suspected cyber frauds immediately to the 1930 helpline.