Cyber-fraud gang duping bank customers on pretext of KYC updates busted, 4 held: Delhi Police
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted a major multi-state cyber-fraud syndicate allegedly involved in duping bank customers on the pretext of updating their KYC details and arrested four men from Jharkhand and West Bengal, an official said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Shiv Kumar Ravidas (22), Sanjay Ravidas (33), Dinesh Ravidas (29) and Shubham Kumar Barnwal (25), he said.
"The syndicate members posed as bank officials and created a sense of urgency among the victims regarding KYC updates. They allegedly induced people to install malicious APK files on their mobile phones, which enabled them to gain unauthorised remote access to banking applications and personal financial data," the senior police officer said.
Police said the accused used the compromised credentials to fraudulently avail loans, transfer funds into mule accounts and withdraw the cheated money through ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) machines and other banking channels.
The case came to light following a complaint from a Sagarpur resident who reported receiving calls and messages from unknown persons impersonating bank officials in December 2025.
She was persuaded to click on a malicious link sent via an online messaging application. Subsequently, she received SMS alerts about a loan of Rs 8.33 lakh being processed on her credit card and unauthorised transactions amounting to Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3.3 lakh. She denied authorising any such transactions, following which a case was registered.
Police found that the accused were operating from areas near Jamtara in Jharkhand and frequently shifting locations between Jharkhand and West Bengal to evade arrest.
Coordinated raids led to the apprehension of three accused from the Nirsa area of Jharkhand's Dhanbad district while they were allegedly calling and targeting victims. The fourth accused was arrested from Hooghly in West Bengal.
During the operation, police seized 10 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, clothing allegedly used during ATM withdrawals and digital evidence, including malicious APK files, phone data, Excel sheets containing bank details and transaction messages.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that different members had specific roles, including procuring APK files and mule accounts, making calls to victims, handling bank accounts and withdrawing cash, police said.
Further investigation is underway.
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Can't say when I'll return to India; legally barred from leaving UK: Mallya to Bombay HC
Mumbai (PTI): Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, facing multiple cases of fraud and money laundering, told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that he cannot say when he will return to India as he is legally barred from leaving the UK.
In a statement submitted through his counsel Amit Desai to the high court, Mallya said he did not have an active passport after it was revoked and hence, he cannot give a definite date of return to India.
The statement was submitted after a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad made it clear last week that it would not hear Mallya's plea against the order declaring a fugitive economic offender until he returns to India.
The court had then asked the former liquor to clarify whether or not he intended to return to India.
Mallya, based in the United Kingdom since 2016, has filed two petitions in the HC -- one challenging an order declaring him a fugitive economic offender and the other questioning the constitutional validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
The 70-year-old liquor baron is accused of defaulting on multiple loan repayments of several thousand crores and facing money laundering charges.
The businessman, in his statement to HC, said he cannot give a definite date for his return as he does not have his Indian passport, which was revoked by the government in 2016, and also because there are orders of courts in England and Wales that prohibit him from leaving the country.
"Mallya is not permitted to leave or attempt to leave England and Wales or apply for or be in possession of any international travel document. In any event, the petitioner is unable to precisely state when he will return to India," Desai read out the statement in the court.
The senior counsel reiterated that Mallya's presence was not required in the country for the court to hear his pleas against the fugitive tag and the provisions of the Act.
"If he (Mallya) were to appear in India, then all these proceedings would be rendered irrelevant as the statute says that once the offender appears in the concerned court of law, then all these orders would be set aside," Desai told the court.
The bench directed the Union government to file its reply to Mallya's statement and posted the matter for further hearing next month.
Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 by a special court hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The businessman left India in March 2016.
