Delhi Police's East District Cyber Police have arrested three men for running a fraud network that reportedly operated a mobile call centre inside a moving SUV to evade location tracking by law enforcement. The operation, busted in the Old Kondli area of East Delhi, led to the seizure of seven mobile phones, 15 bank, debit and Metro cards, cheque books, passbooks, and a suspected forged stamp bearing the NPCI name.

The Accused and Their Alleged Roles

The three accused have been identified as Lokesh Tomar (37), a resident of Old Kondli; Tushar (35), a resident of Shahdara; and Himanshu Rathore, a resident of Kalyan Puri. According to police, Tomar is suspected of coordinating the operation and arranging mule bank accounts, while Tushar allegedly contacted potential victims and induced them to share sensitive banking information — including one-time passwords (OTPs) and credentials — by impersonating officials or representatives. Rathore is suspected of providing bank accounts to receive and transfer fraudulent funds in exchange for commissions.

How the Case Unfolded

The case originated from a complaint filed by Neelesh Vishwakarma, a resident of Umaria district, Madhya Pradesh, who was cheated of ₹65,000 on the pretext of processing fees for the refund of ₹45 lakh he had reportedly invested in insurance policies. Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Cyber Police Station, East District, under Sections 318(4) and 112(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the investigation, an Indian Overseas Bank account linked to Rathore came under scrutiny after suspicious transactions were flagged on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. A dedicated team comprising Sub Inspector Vinay Kumar, Head Constables Devendra and Nitin, and Woman Constable Aanchal was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Pawan Yadav, SHO of the Cyber Police Station, under the supervision of the ACP/Operations, East District.

The Mobile Call Centre Tactic

Notably, the gang's use of a moving vehicle as an operational base represents a deliberate counter-surveillance strategy — by frequently changing locations, the accused sought to defeat the real-time geo-tracking techniques routinely deployed by cybercrime units. Police tracked the white car through technical analysis and field surveillance before intercepting it in Old Kondli. This tactic mirrors emerging patterns documented in cyber fraud busts across other Indian cities, where static call centres have increasingly given way to mobile setups to frustrate investigators.

Evidence Recovered and Wider Links

Police recovered an extensive haul during the intercept: seven mobile phones, 15 bank, debit and Metro cards, five PAN cards, four Aadhaar cards or copies, six cheque books, three passbooks, a signed cheque, two rent agreements, 11 passport-size photographs, nine pages containing a customer list, and a suspected forged stamp bearing the NPCI name. Investigators are examining the accused's possible links to cyber fraud cases in Mumbai and Telangana, along with suspected interstate connections. Further investigation is underway to identify other individuals involved and trace the full chain of financial transactions.