The Cyber Police Station of Delhi's South District has dismantled an interstate cyber-fraud syndicate running Telegram-based task and cryptocurrency investment scams, arresting three accused persons from Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, police confirmed on Thursday, 1 October. The bust follows a complaint in which a victim was defrauded of ₹7,86,300 through a scheme that promised high returns on online tasks and crypto investments.

How the Fraud Unfolded

According to police, the complainant was initially lured into a Telegram group where the accused presented lucrative opportunities — completing online tasks and investing in cryptocurrency in exchange for substantial returns. Trusting these assurances, the victim transferred ₹7,86,300 across two instalments of ₹4,66,300 and ₹3,20,000 as instructed. The accused subsequently stopped responding and neither delivered the promised returns nor refunded the principal amount.

Following the complaint, e-FIR No. 0149/2025 was registered at Police Station Cyber South under Sections 318(4), 319, and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and a formal investigation was launched.

The Investigation and Arrests

The investigation was led by Inspector Hansraj Swami, SHO, PS Cyber South, under the supervision of ACP/Operations Balram Singh Beniwal. The field team comprised Sub-Inspector Raj Kumar Singh, Head Constable Sunil Kumar Bairwa, and HC Rajkumar Bairwa.

Technical and financial analysis traced the flow of fraudulent funds through multiple mule bank accounts allegedly used to receive, route, and withdraw money. One mule account had received ₹4.66 lakh, while another had received ₹5.22 lakh, according to police. Accused Karan Biswas and Mohit Sarkar alias Monu were subsequently traced and arrested in Udham Singh Nagar. A third accused, Vinay Mandal — already in custody in connection with a separate cyber-fraud case registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Rohtak, Haryana — was formally arrested and taken on a three-day police custody remand.

Modus Operandi and Evidence Recovered

Police said the syndicate operated by setting up Telegram-based task and crypto investment schemes to lure victims. Mule bank accounts were allegedly sourced through intermediaries working on commission, with proceeds also reportedly channelled into cryptocurrency transactions, including through USDT — a widely-used stablecoin that enables near-anonymous cross-border transfers.

Investigators recovered two mobile phones, one Canara Bank passbook, and other digital and financial evidence from the accused. This pattern — Telegram recruitment, mule accounts, and USDT conversion — is consistent with a broader surge in tech-enabled financial fraud that has drawn warnings from law enforcement agencies across India.

Accused Background and Next Steps

Police noted that Karan Biswas and Mohit Sarkar have no prior criminal record, while Vinay Mandal was previously implicated in FIR No. 148/25 at the Rohtak Cyber Crime Police Station, suggesting an individual with a pattern of involvement in cyber-fraud networks. Further investigation into the broader syndicate and additional beneficiaries of the fraudulent proceeds remains ongoing, police said.