Fake Customer Care Cyber Fraud Racket Busted in Deoghar

Deoghar: In a major crackdown on rising cyber crime, Deoghar Police unearthed a cyber fraud racket operating through fake customer care numbers uploaded on Google. Acting on the directions of SP Praveen Pushkar, police teams conducted raids in Margomunda and Sonaraythari police station areas and arrested three accused while detaining two juveniles.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Cyber DSP Raja Kumar Mitra following secret information that a group of cyber criminals was cheating innocent consumers by posing as officials of Flipkart, Amazon, PhonePe, Paytm and Airtel Payment Bank. The accused were also allegedly targeting victims in the name of PM Kisan Yojana, loan assistance and SBI credit card services.
According to police, the fraudsters uploaded fake customer care mobile numbers on Google search platforms. Whenever consumers contacted those numbers seeking assistance, the accused trapped them through cashback offers, fake banking support and technical help schemes before siphoning off money online.
During preliminary investigation, police found that the accused used multiple methods to deceive victims. In several cases, they posed as fake PhonePe and Paytm customer care executives and convinced users to create gift cards, which were later redeemed by the gang. They also allegedly impersonated Airtel Payment Bank officials and misled customers by claiming their cards had been blocked. Victims were then tricked into sharing banking details in the name of reactivating their accounts. The arrested accused have been identified as Kanhaiya Kumar Das, 25, and Ritesh Kumar Das, 20, both residents of Sangramlodhiya under Jasidih police station, and Jamshed Ansari, 24, a resident of Pipra under Sonaraythari police station area. Police have not disclosed the identities of the detained juveniles.Police seized seven mobile phones and six SIM cards from the accused. Investigators are now examining the digital evidence to trace the wider network of the cyber fraud gang and identify more victims linked to the operation.The raid team included Inspector Rautu Honhaga, Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakshman Bombonga, along with police personnel from Margomunda and Sonaraythari police stations.