Online fraud: Two arrested in ₹17-crore International online fraud linked to criminal gangs

Two men involved in online fraud worth Rs 17 crore arrested in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: The city cybercrime police arrested two men involved in a ₹17 crore international on Wednesday online fraudwith connections to criminal gangs active in Cambodia and Saudi Arabia.
According to police, Karthikeyan, an IT worker from Saravanampatti in Coimbatore, received a message on his mobile phone, promising high returns for his online investments in their scheme. Karthikeyan, lured by the offer, invested ₹20.5 lakh in several installments.
Not receiving any refund, Karthikeyan asked the fraudsters to return his money. But the fraudsters remained incommunicado.
Eventually, Karthikeyan filed a complaint with the Coimbatore cybercrime police, who registered a case.
Police investigation revealed that the defrauded money was transferred to the bank accounts of two men: Velmurugan, 30, from Nallur in Tirupur, and Abbas, 41, from Mahalingapuram in Pollachi.
The duo had collaborated with an online fraud gang operating from Cambodia and Saudi Arabia by passing on their bank accounts.
It was found that transactions worth ₹7 crore were executed from Velmurugan’s account and ₹10 crore from Abbas’s account. Velmurugan has 91 cases against him while Abbas has 89 cases, police said.