Ahmedabad cyber sleuths nab 2 from Ghaziabad for ₹47 lakh ‘policy refund’ fraud posing as FinMin, NPCI officials

The Ahmedabad Cyber Cell of Crime Branch has arrested two alleged members of an inter-state cyber fraud racket from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly duping a complainant of over ₹47 lakh by impersonating officials of the Ministry of Finance, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and other government agencies in a fake insurance refund scam.

The accused were arrested from Modinagar in Ghaziabad district following a technical and human intelligence-based investigation by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station.

Police identified the accused as Sumit Kumar, 32, a resident of Modinagar, Ghaziabad, and Ashu Agarwal, 27, also from Modinagar.

According to police, the case was registered after the complainant alleged that he had been defrauded of ₹47.35 lakh between April 2022 and March 2026 by fraudsters who promised to recover and release funds purportedly linked to an LIC policy.

Investigators said the accused and their associates contacted the complainant through multiple mobile numbers while impersonating senior officials of NPCI, officers of the Ministry of Finance, IT officers, and legal representatives.

Police said the complainant was falsely told that ₹10 lakh linked to his LIC policy was lying with a government department and could be released through official channels.

The fraudsters allegedly persuaded the complainant to make repeated payments towards purported taxes, stamp duty, legal fees and processing charges, claiming these were necessary to release the funds.

To gain the complainant’s trust, the accused allegedly sent forged identity documents through WhatsApp, including fake NPCI ID cards, fabricated Aadhaar cards, and fraudulent credentials purportedly belonging to government officials.

The complainant was further lured with assurances that a total sum of ₹ 1.48 crore, including the refunded policy amount and compensation, would be transferred to him.

Police said the accused went beyond merely collecting money and allegedly induced the complainant to open bank accounts in ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank, while also procuring new SIM cards in his name.

Investigators said the fraudsters had the SIM cards and account-related material couriered to Delhi, where they were allegedly used to facilitate movement of funds under the guise of NPCI transfers.

According to police, Sumit Kumar acted as the principal caller and impersonated multiple officials, including 'Mitesh Kumar' from the Ministry of Finance and 'Jagdish Chandra Vyas', purportedly a senior manager (finance and fund transfer) with NPCI.

Police said he created fake email addresses in the names of the Ministry of Finance, Supreme Court of India and Central Bureau of Investigation, and used forged documents to build credibility before demanding money from the complainant.

Investigators added that Sumit had previously worked as a telecaller in various call centres in Noida and Ghaziabad and was currently operating from home while allegedly running the fraud scheme.