Five Inter-State Cyber Fraudsters Arrested in Adilabad for Cheating Victims of Rs 3.5 Crore

Adilabad police have arrested five inter-state cyber criminals involved in nationwide online fraud amounting to approximately Rs 3.5 crore, Superintendent of Police Akhil Mahajan said on Friday. The gang faces around 498 cybercrime complaints across the country, including 90 in Telangana alone.

The arrested individuals, all natives of Bihar, have been identified as Abhishek Kumar (24), Ashutosh Kumar alias Bablu (33), Nishu Kumar (25), Ritesh Kumar (24), and Abinash Kumar (24). They have been sent to judicial remand following their arrest.

According to the police, the accused operated fake websites offering fertilizer franchises and collected personal details from applicants across India. They obtained Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, photographs, and bank details, subsequently demanding payments under the guise of service fees, licence charges, and trade transfer fees.

In addition, the group ran a fake "Bajaj Loan" scheme targeting people searching for loans online. After gathering the victims' financial and personal information through online applications, the gang extracted multiple fees before cutting off contact.

The arrests followed an investigation into a case registered under the Jainath police station in Adilabad district. In that case, the fraudsters cheated Akunuru Ganesh, a resident of Mandagada village in Boath Mandal, of Rs 3.85 lakh by falsely promising a private fertilizer company franchise.

The accused had contacted Ganesh via phone calls, WhatsApp, and email to collect his documents and initially sought Rs 50,000 for franchise registration. They later made repeated demands for additional amounts under various pretexts. The victim transferred Rs 3.85 lakh through bank accounts, UPI, and NEFT transactions before the fraudsters stopped answering his communications.

Police traced and apprehended the five suspects using technical evidence. Officers seized 10 mobile phones and Rs 70,000 in cash from their possession. Investigators also discovered that the gang had invested roughly Rs 8 lakh of the fraud proceeds into bank accounts and stock market shares, which have since been frozen.