Surat, Oct 9 (IANS): Two men have been arrested in Ahmedabad for allegedly facilitating a cyber fraud in which a Surat-based complainant was cheated of Rs 27 lakh on the pretext of earning high returns through share trading, with police finding that a bank account allegedly used in the fraud was linked to 14 complaints of online cheating involving Rs 8.93 crore across different states.
The arrests were made by the Cyber Crime Cell of Surat City Police following a technical investigation into the case, registered under Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008.
According to the police, the accused contacted the complainant through WhatsApp and sent a link to a fake website, where an account was created for him.
They allegedly promised attractive returns from share trading and persuaded him to transfer a total of Rs 27 lakh to different bank accounts. “The complainant was subsequently prevented from withdrawing the money,” police said.
The arrested men have been identified as Sameerkhan Pathan, 30, and Mohammad Sheikh, 31, both residents of Jamalpur area in Ahmedabad. Pathan works as a casual labourer and studied up to Class 10, while Sheikh is also a casual labourer and holds a B.Com degree.
Police said Pathan allegedly handed over a savings account in his name with the Bank of Maharashtra to Sheikh in exchange for a commission of Rs 8,000.
Sheikh allegedly passed the account to an absconding accused for use in cyber fraud, receiving a commission of Rs 15,000.
Investigators found that transactions totalling Rs 30,09,057 were carried out through the bank account between May 3 and June 7, 2025.
“A check of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal using the account details revealed 14 complaints registered in different states, involving alleged online fraud of Rs 8,93,80,922,” police said.
Police have urged people to exercise caution when approached with online investment schemes promising high returns and to verify the credentials of unknown individuals before transferring money.
Victims of financial cyber fraud have been advised to call the national cybercrime helpline, 1930, immediately to improve the chances of funds being frozen in the relevant bank accounts.
