Siliguri, 12th April: Police from the Pradhan Nagar Police Station have busted an international cyber fraud racket allegedly operating under the guise of USDT cryptocurrency and arrested eight individuals in connection with the case.
The arrested accused have been identified as Rakesh Majumdar (30), Prem Bhadra (24), Rajkumar Chowdhury (26), Anish Chowdhury (22), Vivek Pradhan (26), Md. Moinuddin (26), Manish Chowdhury (24), and Rohan Chowdhury (25). Most of them are residents of Alipurduar, Darjeeling, and Jaigaon.
According to police sources, the gang used bank accounts of various individuals to carry out fraud targeting victims both in India and abroad, siphoning off lakhs of rupees through online platforms linked to USDT cryptocurrency. The accused allegedly lured victims with offers to sell USDT online. Once the money was transferred into their accounts, they would quickly withdraw the funds and shut down the respective bank accounts.
During the operation, police recovered 58 ATM cards, 18 passbooks, 8 chequebooks, and 10 mobile phones from the possession of the accused individuals. Investigators have obtained several crucial leads from the seized mobile devices, which are now being used to further the probe.
Sources revealed that cyber police units from multiple states had been tracking this gang for some time. Acting on a tip-off, officers conducted a raid at a house in the Pradhan Nagar area of Siliguri and apprehended all eight accused.
A case of fraud has been registered against the accused, and they have been produced before the Siliguri court. Police have sought their remand as further investigation into the racket continues.