Kolkata police crackdown on organized AEPS fraud network, arrest key perpetrators

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police's Bank Fraud Section, Detective Department (DD), has made two key arrests in an Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) fraud case, shedding light on a criminal conspiracy involving multiple cases.
The investigation, headed by the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, has revealed intricate details of the fraud, where the accused procured confidential information and cloned fingerprints to siphon off approximately Rs. 28,900 from a victim's bank account.
The complainant, identified as Tushar Kanti Mukherjee (46), a resident of Baguiati, Kolkata, reported the incident.
Unknown accused individuals had orchestrated a criminal conspiracy, presenting themselves as genuine bank account holders. They resorted to cunning tactics to access the victim's confidential information, including the Aadhaar card number linked to the bank account.
Subsequently, the perpetrators forged and cloned the victim's fingerprint impressions. Armed with this electronic data, the accused executed unauthorized transactions through the AEPS, resulting in wrongful loss to the complainant and gains for the perpetrators.
The charges pressed against them include offences under Sections 120B/419/420/467/468/471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A specialized team was formed to investigate multiple AEPS fraud cases reported recently. Through technical analysis, it was determined that the criminal group operated remotely from two distinct locations Islampore, West Bengal, and Araria, Bihar.
Both locations were found to be in close proximity based on their geographical coordinates.
In response, the Bank Fraud Section's DD, Kolkata Police, conducted a well-executed raid in these areas, resulting in the apprehension of two individuals heavily involved in the operation.

These individuals were implicated in as many as six cases reported to the authorities.
Moktar Alam (23) son of Idris Ali, a resident of Burijagir, Goalgach, Raman, Islampore, Uttar Dinajpur. Arrested on September 27, from Islampore.

This accused is the owner of the Common Service Point (CSP) from which fraudulent transactions were conducted.
Rousan Ali (22) son of Naimul Hoque, residing in Malingaon, New Mahadevpore, PO. Laxmipore Chopra, Uttar Dinajpore, PIN- 733207. Arrested on September 27, from Chopra.

This accused was responsible for creating the counterfeit fingerprints used to withdraw money from the victim's bank account.
The investigation has revealed that the electronic data used in the fraudulent activities were gathered from various public domains and websites, highlighting the importance of securing sensitive personal information.
Both arrested individuals were produced before the Learned Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) of Calcutta and were granted police custody till October 7.
This breakthrough in the case brings the authorities closer to uncovering the extent of this sophisticated fraud operation.