Who is the cyber fraudster Malya Das arrested after four years?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Cyber fraud is a growing concern among senior citizens.
- Awareness is crucial to prevent falling victim to scams.
- Law enforcement is actively pursuing cyber criminals.
- Technical surveillance can lead to successful investigations.
- Fraudsters often use gaming platforms to launder money.
New Delhi, June 29 (NationPress) In a remarkable development, the Cyber Police Station of South-West Delhi has apprehended a 24-year-old cyber criminal, Malya Das, who had been evading capture for four years.
Das, hailing from West Medinipur, West Bengal, was charged with deceiving senior citizens by convincing them to update their KYC information.
The incident dates back to 2021 when a complaint was lodged on the NCRP portal by M. Bajaj, claiming an online fraud amounting to Rs 1.51 lakh. Her grandfather received a text message threatening that his SIM would be blocked unless he updated his e-KYC. He was instructed to call a specified number, during which a harmful link was shared.
Upon clicking the link, the TeamViewer application was installed on his device, giving the fraudsters access to his phone and OTPs. The complaint resulted in FIR No. 255/2021 under Section 420 IPC at PS Kishangarh. Initially managed by PS Kishangarh, the case was reassigned in October 2024 to PS Cyber, South-West.
A team led by SI Opendar, HC Ashok, and Ct. Jeetu, under the supervision of SHO Pravesh Kaushik and ACP Vijay Kumar, initiated a renewed investigation.
Technical surveillance indicated that Rs 1 lakh of the embezzled funds was funneled into RummyCircle accounts via Paytm.
By simulating a loss in the online game with fake accounts, the funds were then transferred to an HDFC Bank account registered to Malya Das and later withdrawn through ATMs.
Over time, a total of Rs 27 lakh had been credited into the same account. Despite initial raids, Das remained undetected, leading to the issuance of a Non-Bailable Warrant.
A subsequent raid in Keshiary, West Medinipur, resulted in his arrest. During questioning, he admitted to his involvement and revealed prior participation in another cheating case registered at PS Bidhannagar, Kolkata, where he was imprisoned in 2022. His accomplice, Toofan, is still at large.
"Das, who completed up to 12th grade and abandoned a diploma course, utilized gaming platforms and bank accounts to obscure the money trail. Further investigations are ongoing," stated Amit Goel, DCP, South-West District, New Delhi.