Nagpur: A top lawyer dealing with cybercrime cases and with a roaring practice in Bombay and Delhi high courts was arrested with five others for masterminding an interstate cyber racket, which was busted last week. The lawyer, Mukesh Mishra, 41, doubled up as a cyber consultant for the conmen, who siphoned off ₹9.88 crore from a mill owner’s bank account through online transactions in July. Mishra allegedly used his expertise in cybercrime cases to guide the accused, many of whom spent at least seven years in the banking sector, said police.Police suspect SIM swapping technique was used to carry out the fraud as the victim’s account was cleaned without sharing an OTP or clicking on suspicious links, unlike the Jamtara con strategy. With money transfers made through hawala channels, police have sent an SOS to Enforcement Directorate to aid the probe.The fraud took place between July 4 and 6, when the gang allegedly transferred ₹9.88 crore through RTGS transactions from the bank account of the mill owner, a resident of Wadhoda in Nagpur rural.The victim approached the cyber police station, following which police registered a case on July 8. The quick reporting helped police freeze and recover ₹4.21cr, which is being transferred back to the mill owner’s account.Technical analysis of suspicious bank accounts and fintech companies led investigators to locations in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Delhi, resulting in the arrests. The accused allegedly operated several shell companies to move money between multiple bank accounts, said SP (rural) Harssh Poddar. The network reportedly used more than 1,000 accounts to route funds through fintech firms and payment gateways before withdrawing cash or transferring money through hawala channels. Addl SP Anil Mhaske stated more arrests are likely. The case was cracked by the local crime branch, cyber cops and Wadhoda police.Besides the lawyer, who runs a law firm in Mumbai, others in custody include Hanuman Kumar Ram, 26, Ravikumar Yadav, 24, Azim Rafique Mithani, 26, Rakesh Singh, 44, and Ankur Goswami, 30. The accused are residents of Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Thane and Jharkhand.Police also suspect that a part of the money was used to buy gold at different locations in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh. Investigators are examining the financial transactions to establish the role of each accused and track down the remaining funds.One of the accused had worked at an Indore-based company involved in around ₹3,400 crore fraud, police said. The probe widened after an initial audit of bank accounts revealed possible links to other victims. Police are also examining digital records, bank accounts and virtual wallets held with several fintech companies. The involvement of hawala operators and angadia channels in Mumbai and Delhi is also under scrutiny.
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