Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: The Commissionerate Police on Wednesday busted an inter-state UPI fraud gang and arrested 8 members of it including the mastermind.
The gang used to transfer money from various UPI and bank accounts of victims by hacking them after stealing their mobile phones tactfully.
Bhubaneswar DCP, Prateek Singh said, the gang used to operate in groups across the country with at least 14 members in each gang.
The members are mostly from West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, and other parts of the country.
“The gang members used to visit states during the festive season or during major local events. They worked in an organized manner to commit crimes at bus terminals, crowded places, temples, and hospitals. First, they snatch mobile phones and use the SIM cards therein to withdraw from the UPI account and bank account of the victims.
The gang was busted by Capital Police while investigating a case of Rs 14 lakh loot from a UPI account of a person in Bhubaneswar.
“After ascertaining the involvement, we reached the mastermind. We have seized 22 mobile phones, 25 SIM cards, some memory chips, and Rs 1.3 lakh cash. Other aides are on run, we hope that we will nab them soon,” said Singh.