Deoghar Police Arrest 26-Year-Old Man for Alleged Cyber Fraud

Photo: RP

Deoghar: Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with an alleged cyber fraud racket involving impersonation of customer care executives of major e-commerce and digital payment platforms.

The arrest was made on November 10 following a raid in the Sarwan police station area of Deoghar district. The operation was conducted on the basis of a tip-off under the direction of Superintendent of Police Praveen Pushkar and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Kailash Prasad Mahto.

The accused, identified as Ravindra Das, is a resident of Bochbandh village under Pathardda OP in Deoghar district.

According to the police, Das allegedly posed as a customer care executive of Flipkart, Amazon and PhonePe, as well as an official of Airtel Payments Bank, to deceive people and siphon off money through online fraud.

Investigators said he also allegedly used fake mobile numbers to target people by promising benefits under the PM-KISAN scheme and offering assistance in securing loans.

Police said the accused lured victims with cashback offers and persuaded them to purchase PhonePe gift cards, which were subsequently redeemed to transfer money fraudulently. He also allegedly misused the Airtel Thanks app to deactivate customers' payments bank cards and then cheated them on the pretext of helping reactivate the services.

During the raid, police seized a mobile phone and two SIM cards from his possession. A preliminary examination of the seized devices reportedly indicated his suspected involvement in cyber fraud.

The operation was led by Sarwan police station officer-in-charge Sandeep Kumar along with other police personnel.

Further investigation is underway to establish the extent of the alleged fraud and identify possible links to other victims or individuals involved in the racket.