Nationwide cyber crackdown: ₹125 crore Jamtara fraud exposed, mastermind Chand among five held
Surat, August 11: The Surat Cyber Crime Cell of Gujarat has busted a nationwide cyber fraud racket and arrested four accused. According to the police, the gang hacked the mobile phones of over 5,613 people and defrauded them of over ₹125.39 crore.
Among the arrested accused, Jahurul Ansari alias Chand is said to be the mastermind of the cyber fraud gang operating from Jamtara. During this operation, the police team covered a distance of approximately 2,456 kilometers from Jamtara and Deoghar in Jharkhand to Patna in Bihar.
Surat’s Additional CP, Crime Branch, Karanraj Vaghela, said that Jahurul Ansari alias Chand has developed 1,248 APK files so far. These files were then distributed to cyber fraud gangs operating across the country.
According to the police, the accused acquired the APK files for approximately ₹8,000 and sold them to various cyber gangs for between ₹10,000 and ₹70,000. Approximately 336 fake APK files were created and sent to people via WhatsApp, posing as banks, RTO challans, KYC, government schemes, and hospitals.
The accused sent the “PNB One.APK” file, which resembled the genuine Punjab National Bank application. Once the file was installed, the accused gained access to the phone. They then used mobile and banking information to transfer funds from bank accounts. The fraudulent proceeds were routed through fake bank accounts and cash deposit machines.
Investigations revealed that the gang’s 336 fake APK files had been installed on over 31,174 mobile devices, targeting thousands of people. Police are now interrogating the arrested accused to gather information about other gang members and their nationwide network.
Cybercrime police have urged people not to download APK files received via WhatsApp, SMS, or unknown links. They have also been cautioned against suspicious links posing as bank, RTO challans, or KYC updates. In case of cyber fraud, they have been urged to immediately report a case to 1930.
