The Punjab Police’s State Cybercrime Division has unearthed a minimal help worth (MSP) cost fraud with the arrest of 4 folks concerned in manipulating the Anaaj Kharid portal to divert crop funds from farmers to their very own financial institution accounts.
The Punjab Police’s State Cybercrime Division has unearthed a minimal help worth (MSP) cost fraud with the arrest of 4 folks concerned in manipulating the Anaaj Kharid portal to divert crop funds from farmers to their very own financial institution accounts. (Representational picture)
Further director normal of police (ADGP), cybercrime division, V Neeraja mentioned the arrested accused have been recognized as Manish, Jasvir Singh, Angrej Singh and Balwinder Singh.
Police groups have additionally recovered digital gadgets and routers utilized by them to commit the fraud.
Neeraja mentioned the accused used an revolutionary modus operandi to divert the cost of crop of the farmers to their accounts fraudulently by changing the cell numbers of the farmers with their cell numbers and, thereafter, utilizing the identical to replace checking account info of the farmers.
To keep away from detection, the accused would restore the unique particulars instantly after the cost was processed, she mentioned, whereas including that statewide operation is being carried out to nab the opposite accused individuals concerned within the rip-off.
As per the data, a criticism was acquired from the meals and civil provides division, Punjab, by which it has come to mild that some farmers haven’t acquired the cost of promoting their crops in the course of the 2024 paddy season. Additional verification revealed that the cost of those farmers has been credited to numerous financial institution accounts belonging to totally different folks.
The ADGP mentioned that in preliminary enquiry, IP data and different information was scrutinised and data relating to the financial institution accounts, which revealed the small print relating to the unauthorised entry of the Anaaj Kharid Portal and the diversion of the crop cost in numerous accounts.
Throughout the investigation, it was additionally revealed {that a} cell quantity and a cell system was bought from SAS Nagar district on pretend id, which was used to acquire OTPs for altering the financial institution accounts of farmers on Anaaj Kharid Portal and the gang was operating their operation from distant areas of Muktsar Sahib, she mentioned, whereas including that an web connection was additionally put in for the aim of unauthorised entry of the portal and altering the financial institution data of the farmers.
The ADGP mentioned that three groups from cybercrime division headed by inspector Jujhar Singh, inspector Deepak Bhatia and SI Ranjit used a number of OSINT methods to determine the whereabouts of the accused, which led to the arrest of 4 individuals from areas of Moga and Muktsar Sahib.
Additional questioning of the arrested accused is underway to determine the involvement of extra individuals, she mentioned, whereas not ruling out the connivance of any officers of mandi board or meals provide division and fee brokers, who may need shared smart info and technical glitches of the Anaaj Kharid Portal with the masterminds of the rip-off.
Raids are being carried out to arrest the remaining accused within the case, she added.
An FIR has been registered beneath sections 318(4), 336(2), 336(3), 338 340(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act at Police Station state cybercrime, Punjab.