Copyright timesnownews
A Delhi woman has been duped of Rs 11.95 by fraudsters luring her into fraudulently withdrawing a personal loan from her bank account by posing as bank officials, an official told PTI on Thursday. Five people have been arrested in the loan scam after it came to light. The accused have been identified as Himanshu Kumar Gautam (26), the alleged mastermind, Sachin (28), Asif Ali (26), Raj Swami (22), and Hemraj Gurjar (21), police said. Fraudsters' modus operandi explained According to the police, the modus operandi of the gang allegedly involved impersonating bank representatives, securing OTPs from unsuspecting customers, and using mule accounts to divert and withdraw the defrauded funds. The case came to light after a woman from Palam reported a call from a person posing as a representative of a reputed financial institution. The caller, under the pretext of helping her redeem her credit card reward points, deceitfully obtained her one-time passwords (OTPs), the police said, told PTI. "Within minutes, a pre-approved personal loan of Rs 11.95 lakh was fraudulently disbursed into her bank account and then transferred to multiple other accounts," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said. A case was registered, and during the investigation, police found that the cheated amount had been routed to a mule account belonging to Hemraj Gurjar and withdrawn in parts from ATMs in Delhi's Vishal Enclave. Surveillance and technical analysis led to the arrest of Gurjar and his associate Raj Swami, the police said. Also Read: Pune Shocker: Retired Officer Dies of Shock After Losing ₹1.2 Crore in Scam | How Did It Unfold? "Further interrogation and digital analysis helped trace and arrest the remaining accused - Asif Ali from New Seelampur, Sachin from Uttam Naga,r and the kingpin, Himanshu Gautam, from Rama Park. Himanshu was found to have orchestrated the entire scam by impersonating financial executives and gaining access to victims' banking details," the officer said. The police said Gautam had previously been involved in a cyber fraud case registered in Rohtak, Haryana. Eight smartphones allegedly used in the scam have been recovered from the accused and further investigation is underway to trace other victims and financial trails linked to the network. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Delhi and around the world.
