Cyberabad Police Arrest Man in Rs 1 Cr WhatsApp Fraud, Accused Remanded in Kukatpally

Cyberabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with a major cyber fraud in which criminals impersonated a saree shop owner on WhatsApp to dupe an accountant of Rs 1 crore, police announced on Wednesday. Following his arrest in Uttar Pradesh, the accused was brought to the city and produced before the IX Additional Metropolitan Magistrate in Kukatpally, who remanded him to judicial custody.

Sharing details with the media, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Dr. M. Ramesh stated that the cybercrime investigators cracked the case within 10 days, successfully recovering the entire amount and returning it to the victim.

According to investigators, the fraudsters set up a WhatsApp account using the name and display picture of the saree shop owner. The criminals then sent fraudulent messages instructing the shop's accountant to execute a large fund transfer. Believing the messages were genuine and originated from his employer, the accountant transferred Rs 1 crore.

During the probe, the Cyber Crime Police tracked the financial transactions and found that the transferred funds had been routed through a corporate current account opened in the name of Royal Moda Pvt. Ltd. Police established that this corporate account was operating as a mule account to channel fraudulent proceeds.

Police tracked down and arrested Deepak Kumar, 37, a resident of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh who was engaged in a water-plant business. After securing a transit remand from a local court in Lucknow, police brought Kumar to Cyberabad and produced him before the magistrate court in Kukatpally.

With intervention from law enforcement and corresponding court orders, the entire Rs 1 crore was retrieved and handed back to the victim in 10 days. Cyberabad police noted that further investigation remains in progress to identify remaining accomplices, establish their specific roles in the racket, and trace the complete money trail.

Police Commissioner Dr. Ramesh cautioned the public against transferring significant sums of money based solely on WhatsApp profile names or display pictures. He advised people to independently verify the identity of anyone asking for financial transactions across alternative communication channels before sending funds.

The commissioner also urged anyone who falls victim to online or financial cyber fraud to immediately contact the 1930 cybercrime helpline or register a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.