Delhi CA arrested in Rs 750 crore cyber scam linked to Chinese nationals, brought to Doon for probe
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
A chartered accountant from Delhi, allegedly involved in a Rs 750 crore interstate cyber fraud targeting Indian citizens through fake loan apps, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and brought to Dehradun by the Uttarakhand’s Special Task Force (STF) for further legal action.
The scam, which was allegedly being run in coordination with Chinese nationals, was first registered as a case in Uttarakhand in December 2022 following complaints from multiple victims, as per the deputy superintendent of police of cyber crime unit of STF in Dehradun, Ankush Mishra. He stated that a look out circular had been issued against the accused, Abhishek Agarwal who was apprehended while attempting to travel.
A resident of Ashok Vihar in North West Delhi, Agarwal had reportedly set up around 35 to 40 shell companies out of which, 13 were in his name and 28 in his wife’s name. Several of these had Chinese citizens listed as co-directors. These entities were used to open multiple bank accounts that processed suspicious transactions amounting to more than Rs 750 crore. The fund flows are now under scrutiny, the DSP said.
He informed that the operation allegedly relied on fake instant loan apps like Inst Loan, Maxi Loan, KK Cash, RupeeGo, and others. The victims were enticed with offers of easy loans with minimal documentation and once they installed the apps, access was gained to their personal data including photos and contacts. They were then threatened with edited images and blackmailed into transferring money.
Many complied repeatedly out of fear of social embarrassment, he added. According to Mishra, investigations revealed that Agarwal had close links with Chinese individuals who had visited India to support the setup. Prior to Agarwal’s arrest, another key accused, Ankur Dhingra, was arrested from Gurugram in 2023 for running similar operations under Hector Lendkaro Pvt Ltd. Dhingra had travelled to Shanghai and Shenzhen and brought Chinese nationals to India to launch the racket.
Mishra informed that during Agarwal’s arrest, officials recovered a mobile phone, passport, foreign and Indian currency, digital storage devices and other personal items. Preliminary interrogation revealed that he created shell companies on behalf of Chinese handlers to enable fraudulent banking transactions. Names of five Chinese nationals have been shared by the accused and authorities are coordinating with central agencies and Interpol to verify further details, he added.
The DSP said that the cyber crime team in Dehradun, which is handling the investigation, is continuing to gather digital and financial evidence while coordinating with banks, service providers and enforcement agencies in other States.
