New Delhi: Two men were arrested for allegedly facilitating a Rs 50 lakh cyber fraud in which a hotel finance manager was duped by a fraudster impersonating the company’s managing director. The entire amount was later refunded to the complainant following a court order, police said.The accused, identified as Ankesh Yadav (25) and Samir Sheikh (30), worked at a carpentry shop.On Oct 21, Rajeev Kumar, finance manager of a hotel company, approached police claiming that an unidentified fraudster had posed as the company’s managing director and instructed him to transfer Rs 50 lakh to a bank account five days earlier. The accused allegedly used the managing director’s name and display picture on WhatsApp and had blocked the genuine contact number on the complainant’s phone.The fraudster allegedly sought another Rs 48 lakh on Oct 21 and directed that the amount be transferred to a different account. However, the transaction was stopped after the complainant independently verified the instructions with the managing director.“Investigation revealed that the beneficiary account was found to have been opened in the name of Rajjab Ali, who was working as a sofa maker at the shop of co-accused Samir Shaikh. Technical analysis traced the accused to Thane in Maharashtra, from where they were arrested,” said DCP Gaurav Tyagi.Police traced the defrauded amount to the beneficiary account and froze the funds. The money was subsequently released to the complainant following court orders.During the investigation, police seized the account’s cheque book and a SIM card linked to the bank account. According to investigators, Yadav allegedly persuaded Sheikh to arrange and operate the account on behalf of handlers involved in the fraud. Police alleged that the bank kit was subsequently handed over by Sheikh to the handlers.Further investigation is underway to trace the account holder and identify other members of the network.
