Cyber fraudster held for Rs 4.33 lakh scam targeting IIT student

New Delhi: The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested a fraudster involved in an elaborate scam that defrauded an IIT Delhi student of Rs 4.33 lakh.

The police were informed about the incident through a complaint registered at the Cyber Police Station in southwest Delhi.

The accused has been identified as Madan Lal (29) son of Ram Lal resident of Vishnu Nagar, Khileriyo Ki Dhani, Rajasthan.

According to the police reports, the fraud began on November 16, 2024, when the victim, a fourth-year IIT Delhi student, received a call from someone impersonating DHL Courier Services.

The caller falsely claimed that an illegal parcel under the student’s name was being sent from Mumbai to Beijing.

After the student denied any involvement, he was tricked into believing that police were investigating him for criminal activities. The fraudsters, posing as law enforcement officers, pressured him into transferring money across multiple transactions to avoid arrest.

By November 18, the scammers contacted him again, citing another suspicious parcel, leading him to transfer a total of 4.33 lakh rupees via UPI. A case was subsequently registered at the Cyber Police Station, South-West District.

The police traced the fraudulent transactions and discovered connections to multiple individuals in Rajasthan.

Surveillance identified Madan Lal as the person withdrawing the cheated money from ATMs in Lohawat, Rajasthan. Following leads, a police team tracked him to Chennai and arrested him on January 18.

During interrogation, Madan Lal confessed to laundering the scammed money by purchasing USDT (a cryptocurrency) and selling it at a higher price to a Chinese contact.

Authorities recovered two mobile phones with incriminating evidence, five ATM cards, and six chequebooks from him. Madan Lal, a tenth-grade dropout, was previously involved in an NDPS case in Rajasthan.