Four Thiruvallur youths arrested by ED for cyber fraud; Main accused in contact with Chinese scammers

CHENNAI: Four youths from Tiruvallur district were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a cyber fraud case in which the accused allegedly posed as CBI officers to cheat the public of several crores.

The arrested have been identified as Tamilarasan Kuppan (29), Prakash (26), I Aravindan (23) and Ajith (28). One of them is said to be in contact with Chinese scammers, exposing a wider network of criminals.

ED officials from Bengaluru landed at Mottur village in Pallipattu on Thursday triggering curiosity among villagers as the locals were told that the arrested had transactions worth crores in their bank accounts. A day later, all four of them were arrested.

Already, four persons were arrested from Bengaluru. The Thiruvallur youth were involved in the incorporation of shell companies and the opening of bank accounts, through which proceeds of crime generated from the cyber scam were laundered, according to ED.

There are cases in various states and as per a FIR in Rajasthan, the victim received a call from a person posing himself as a "Bombay customs officer." The receivers of the call were told that illegal goods were sent abroad under their name.

The victim was made to make a 'fund legalisation' payment of Rs 2.16 crore as a security to ensure that no money had been illegally earned by the victim.

ED said it froze Rs 2.8 crore in a Bandhan bank account of the shell company, Cyberforest Technology Private Limited on September 12 in which the proceeds were transferred by the victim.

"A WhatsApp group was used by the four accused along with some Chinese scammers. Tamilarasan was in contact with Chinese cyber fraudsters for siphoning off the amount of Rs 2.8 crore frozen in Bandhan Bank," the ED said.

As many as 17 searches have been conducted by the agency in this cyber "scam" till now in which Rs 28 crore worth of proceeds of crime has been identified.