B'luru: Rajasthan gang busted for job fraud, cybercrime using student bank accounts
Bengaluru, Nov 15: Four members of a gang were arrested in Rajasthan for cheating people with fake job offers and engaging in cybercrime investment fraud using bank accounts opened in the names of college students, primarily from northern India, police said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Abhay Dhan Charan (19), Arvind Kumar (19), Pawan Bishnoi (18), and Sawai Singh (21), lured victims by promising part-time jobs at reputed companies, they added.
The arrests followed a complaint from a woman at CEN police station in Southeast Division, who was cheated of Rs 12,43,250 under the guise of securing her a part-time job. The money was deposited into a bank account held by a college student, which led authorities to uncover the gang's operation.
During the investigation, police discovered that the gang opened bank accounts in the names of college students.
They took possession of the students' passbooks, chequebooks, and other documents, using these accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions.
Using technical surveillance, the police tracked down the suspects and arrested them from Udaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
Seized items included 19 mobile phones, two laptops, 20 SIM cards, 34 bank passbooks, and Rs 75,000 in cash, a senior police officer said.
"The gang targeted North Indian students studying in Bengaluru, offering Rs 2,000 as an incentive for opening bank accounts. Unaware of the fraudulent activities, the students allowed their accounts to be used by the gang. The fraudsters used these accounts to target people seeking part-time jobs or investment schemes, instructing victims to transfer money into the students’ accounts," he added.
The accused were in possession of the ATM cards, passbooks, and chequebooks of the bank accounts.
Once the money was deposited, the accused withdrew it and converted it into cryptocurrency, he said, adding, that further investigation is underway.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
