Kurukshetra Police bust Cambodia‑linked cyber fraud gang; 1 arrested

With the arrest of a person from Dehradun, the Kurukshetra police claim to have busted a cyber‑fraud gang linked to Cambodia. The accused was duping people out of lakhs of rupees under the guise of a ‘digital arrest’.

The accused has been identified as Anikant Bhat, a resident of Deepnagar in Dehradun, who was carrying out frauds on the instruction of his handlers sitting in Cambodia.

Police have recovered six mobile phones, one laptop, 278 SIM cards, six SIM banks, one camera, two Wi-Fi devices, and one passport from his possession.

Explaining the technology while talking with media persons, Kurukshetra SP Nitish Agarwal said that the accused had been trained in Cambodia for cyber fraud. Sitting in Dehradun, he used a SIM bank (SIM box) to make fraudulent calls by displaying Indian numbers, thereby tricking victims into believing they were receiving local calls. His handlers in Cambodia monitored his activities round the clock through a camera installed in his room.

“A SIM box works like a mini-exchange. Each box can hold up to 256 SIM cards, allowing the accused to make simultaneous calls to several people without using any mobile phone. These boxes were imported from Cambodia,” the SP added.

He maintained that a case was registered on the complaint of Bal Krishan, a retired Army man from Sector-2, Kurukshetra. He reported that on August 24, he received a call from a woman posing as a bank employee, who falsely claimed that he had an unpaid credit card bill of Rs 1 lakh. Soon after, calls from multiple numbers followed, with the callers claiming his Aadhaar card was being misused for money laundering worth crores. Under threat and continuous pressure, he was forced into depositing Rs 29.85 lakh on August 28 and Rs 49 lakh on September 1 into accounts provided by the fraudsters.

When he realised he had been duped, he approached Cyber Crime Police Station, Kurukshetra, where a case was registered and investigated, leading to the accused’s arrest.

SP Agarwal clarified that ‘digital arrest’ is a fictitious term. There is no legal provision for such action in Indian law. He advised citizens to remain vigilant and immediately inform family members, approach the nearest police station, or call the National Cyber Helpline at 1930 if they receive such threats. “Awareness is the best shield against cyber fraud,” he added.