Bareilly: Five people, including a homoeopathic practitioner, have been arrested on Saturday in Bareilly for allegedly running an interstate cyber fraud gang, officials said on Sunday.The accused, aged between 25 and 40, were identified as Sachendra Kumar, a homoeopathic doctor from Ambedkar Nagar, who allegedly allowed his trust account to be used in the fraud, and Shakib Ali, Rajkumar, Ashish Singh and Madhoram from Bareilly. An FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the BNS, the IT Act and the Arms Act, officials said.ASP Ashutosh Shivam said the gang operated across multiple states and had suspected links to foreign networks. “During questioning, it emerged that the accused used fake trusts and bank accounts to siphon off money from victims,” he said, adding that funds were routed through multiple beneficiary accounts to evade detection before being withdrawn via ATMs or cheques.Police intercepted a black SUV carrying the suspects following a tip-off. A search led to the recovery of a laptop, seven mobile phones, check books, ATM and ID cards, a trust seal, documents, the vehicle used in the crime and illegal firearms with live cartridges.Investigators found that 22 bank accounts linked to the gang had 524 complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, indicating a large-scale operation. Digital evidence from seized mobile phones revealed transaction trails of up to Rs 1.5 crore, which are under scrutiny.“The network had defined roles such as panel operators, agents, mediators and account holders, and used tools such as SMS-listener apps and layered fund transfers to avoid detection. We are tracing national and international links,” the ASP said.Police said Shakib told them he had learned the modus operandi in Delhi and claimed some operators were based in neighboring countries such as Nepal. Further investigation is underway to identify other members, including mediators and suspected foreign handlers.
