Delhi Cyber Fraud: Four Posing As Axis Bank Officials Arrested In ₹1.19 Lakh Credit Card Scam

The Delhi Police have busted an alleged cyber fraud racket in which four men posed as Axis Bank customer-care officials to cheat a credit-card holder of ₹1.19 lakh. The accused allegedly used virtual phone numbers, fake service-request details and the CheQ payment application to convince the victim that they were genuine bank representatives.

Police said eight mobile phones were recovered during the investigation, while technical analysis of one device allegedly linked it to 32 other complaints.

Victim Received Call Over Fake AMC Charge

The case came to light after complainant Yash Sharma received a call on July 16 from a person allegedly posing as an Axis Bank credit-card official.

The caller told Sharma that an annual maintenance charge of ₹2,499 had been applied to his card. When Sharma asked for the charge to be cancelled, he was allegedly told that another call would come from the bank’s customer-care department.

He later received a call from another number allegedly being used to impersonate Axis Bank customer care.

The caller persuaded him to download the CheQ application, claiming it was required to cancel the AMC plan and issue a new credit card.

Three UPI Transactions Made

Police said the victim was directed to make three UPI payments of ₹2,538.81, ₹58,647.68 and ₹58,647.68.

The transactions amounted to ₹1,19,834.17, while police have described the fraud case as involving ₹1.19 lakh.

The accused allegedly provided Sharma with a fake service-request number and told him that his new card would be activated within four hours and delivered within two days.

When the card did not arrive, Sharma contacted genuine Axis Bank customer care on July 17 and was informed that no such request had been made. He subsequently blocked his card and reported the incident through the Cyber Crime Portal.

An e-FIR was registered at PS Cyber North under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigation Traces Money Trail To Bank Account

A dedicated team under DCP North District Niharika Bhatt conducted technical and financial analysis of call-detail records, mobile numbers, Google account data, UPI transactions and beneficiary bank accounts.

The investigation allegedly traced the transaction trail to a Kotak Mahindra Bank account linked to Prince Kumar. Police said the account recorded suspicious transactions exceeding ₹12 lakh within five to seven days.

Prince Kumar, 20, was arrested from Aligarh on September 15.

During interrogation, police allegedly traced Vishal Tomar, 21, and Vishal Raghav, 27, both from Aligarh. Sanjay Verma, 40, from Uttam Nagar, was subsequently arrested.

Accused Allegedly Used Virtual Numbers

According to police, Verma had previously worked at a call centre in Noida and allegedly learnt the modus operandi of impersonating bank officials.

Investigators suspect the group used the ‘Indy Number’ application to generate virtual numbers resembling bank customer-care numbers and CheQ to route the allegedly fraudulent funds.

Police said the alleged network involved different roles, including arranging bank accounts, procuring SIM cards and withdrawing money through ATMs in exchange for commissions.

Search On For Two More Suspects

Police are currently searching for two alleged associates identified as Bobby and Avtar.

Further investigation is underway to trace the complete financial trail, identify other possible victims and establish the roles of additional members of the alleged network.