Delhi Police have arrested five individuals in separate cybercrime operations for their alleged involvement in fraud networks linked to Chinese operatives, officials said on Friday. In one case, the Cyber Police Station of the North-West District cracked a ₹21 lakh investment scam involving two accused, Pawan and Mankiraat Dhillon. The duo allegedly lured a victim through a fake investment app that resembled a legitimate trading platform, displaying fabricated returns and account activity. The victim, deceived by the convincing interface, transferred the funds in three installments to accounts shared by the suspects, who maintained contact through Telegram and WhatsApp.
Investigations revealed that Pawan and Dhillon were in contact with Chinese nationals via Telegram channels and groups. They procured bank accounts from acquaintances and supplied these to their foreign handlers in exchange for commissions. The arrests were made in Mohali, Punjab, and police recovered incriminating items, including ATM cards, cheque books, SIM cards, and mobile phones used in the crime. Evidence of their travel to Nepal—where part of the stolen money was allegedly deposited into accounts set up by their foreign associates—was also found, including hotel bills and flight tickets.
In a separate operation, the South-West District Cyber Police busted a sophisticated interstate cyber fraud syndicate that was routing money to China using cryptocurrency, specifically USDT. Three accused—Mahender Singh Rajawat, Ariph Khan, and Laxmi Narayan Vaishy, all residents of Jaipur, Rajasthan—were arrested and six smartphones were seized. The case began with a complaint from K Kant, who was tricked into a fake online task scam, initially earning small payments for posting positive reviews. Over time, he was duped into transferring over ₹15.8 lakh for bogus reasons like account unfreezing and credit score improvements.
Despite the complainant deleting key evidence, police traced the suspects through technical analysis and money trails, conducting multiple raids across Jaipur, Ajmer, and nearby regions. Rajawat was the first to be caught, and during interrogation, he revealed the names of his co-accused. Further raids led to the arrests of Khan and Vaishy. The investigation found that the trio was directly connected to a Chinese handler on Telegram and facilitated the laundering of fraud proceeds through various bank accounts, converting the funds into cryptocurrency within minutes of withdrawal.
