Newz Desk, Durgapur: Two youths were detained by Prantika Outpost police during an operation in Benachity, Durgapur, with investigators claiming that questioning the duo led to information about their alleged links to a cyber fraud network. Police reportedly recovered around Rs 20,000 in cash from their possession.
According to police sources, one of the detainees is a 19-year-old resident of Bhambe Colony under New Township police station. The other is a 15-year-old minor from the Kada Road area. The identity of the minor has not been disclosed in accordance with legal provisions. Police suspect that the alleged fraud network may have used one-time passwords (OTPs) as a tool to deceive victims. Investigators also suspect that the minor had allegedly been used to facilitate the operation for some time.
The police are now probing whether the alleged cyber fraud operation has any connection with the Jamtara-based cyber fraud network in Jharkhand, which has gained notoriety for online scams. Investigators are also examining whether more people are involved in the suspected network. Police have sought the custody of the 19-year-old accused for further questioning in an effort to trace the alleged fraud network and establish the source and flow of the money.
The 19-year-old accused was produced before the Durgapur Sub-Divisional Court, while the minor was produced before the Asansol Juvenile Justice Board on Sunday.Investigators are now focusing on tracing the source of the Rs 20,000 recovered from the accused and determining whether the two detainees are merely links in a larger cyber fraud network operating across the region.
