Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 12 Aug: The Cyber Crime Police of the Special Task Force (STF) have arrested a 20-year-old member of an interstate cyber fraud gang from Amritsar in connection with a Rs 55.48 lakh fraud committed on the pretext of promising high returns on investments in shares and initial public offerings (IPOs). Of the defrauded amount, Rs 8.94 lakh had been transferred to the bank account of the arrested accused, who allegedly withdrew the money through ATM and cheque transactions.
The accused has been identified as Prabhjeet Singh, son of late Joginder Singh, a resident of Bhalla Colony in the Chheharta area of Amritsar, Punjab.
The Cyber-crime STF shared that Singh was arrested on August 11 from Tara Wala Pul on Jalandhar Road in Amritsar following a raid by a team of the Dehradun Cyber Crime Police. A mobile phone and an SMS alert number have also been recovered from his possession.
The accused’s role had come to light during the course of investigation of a case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Dehradun. Analysis of banking records and other technical evidence revealed that the accused was actively involved in the cyber fraud. The case has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act (IT Act).
According to the police, the accused and his associates had posed as representatives associated with IIFL Wealth Management and lured the complainant with the promise of attractive returns on investments in shares and IPOs. Acting on their assurance, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 55,48,412 through RTGS to different bank accounts between December 16, 2025 and January 28, 2026.
During the investigation, it was found that Rs 25.48 lakhs of the defrauded amount had been transferred to a first-layer suspicious account operated in the name of M/s Hari Om Traders. Of this amount, Rs 3.18 lakhs and Rs 5.763 lakhs, totalling an amount of Rs 8.94 lakhs were subsequently transferred to a Punjab National Bank account held in the name of Prabhjeet Singh.
The banking and technical evidences have established the link between the accused and the transactions. Investigators found that the money transferred to his account was subsequently withdrawn through ATM transactions and cheques by the accused. Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, the STF Cyber Crime Police traced the accused to Amritsar and arrested him yesterday.
During the interrogation, Prabhjeet Singh allegedly disclosed that he had also withdrawn cyber fraud money from other bank accounts. He also provided important information regarding other persons allegedly involved in the inter-state gang. The police are now carrying out further investigation to identify and arrest the other members of the gang and recover the defrauded money.
The investigation has also focused on tracing the flow of the money through various bank accounts to identify other beneficiaries and members of the network. Police officials said that further investigative action is underway in the case and efforts were being made to recover the remaining amount and establish the role of other suspects.
The police team involved in the operation comprised investigating officer Inspector Vijay Bharti, Sub-Inspector Raman Bisht, Assistant Sub-Inspector Pawan Kumar Yadav and Constable Sohan Badoni.
