Nawada: A joint team of Bihar Police and its Telangana counterpart was fired upon during a raid on a gang of cyber criminals duping people in the name of car dealerships. It is said that expensive cars and Rs 1.23 crore in cash were seized from the gang members.
The raid was launched by the joint team of Bihar and Telangana police at Bhavanibigha village on Saturday morning following a complaint by a businessman from Kukatpally Nizampet, who had been duped of Rs 28.58 by the gang on the pretext of a car dealership. At the hideout in Bhavanibigha village, the main accused, Mithilesh Prasad, who saw the police team approaching from the roof of the building, opened fire on it and escaped.
In the ensuing operation, police arrested Bhootaliram, Maheshkumar, Surendramahato, and Jitendra Kumar. Rs 1.23 crore in cash, two cars, and foreign liquor were also seized from them. The police said that these cybercriminals have scammed many people in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Patna, Kolkata, and other cities in the name of vehicle dealerships.
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The victim businessman from Kukatpally Nizampet said he had applied for the Kia car dealership in the Nizamabad district on the company's purported website. On May 24, a woman named Radhika Mishra called the businessman and asked him for the email ID that he sent on June 2.
The woman sent the Letter of Intent (LOI) on June 4 and later asked him to pay the registration fee of Rs 2.65 lakh. On July 7, the victim deposited the money in the bank account after which the cyber criminals extorted Rs 28,58,500 from him. The victim became suspicious as the criminals demanded to send money to different bank accounts.
After inquiring from a bank manager, it was found that they were all fake accounts. The man called Kia's customer care and confirmed that the website he had applied for was fake prompting the victim to lodge a police complaint. Bhawani Bigha village, where Telangana police were recently shot at, is a breeding ground for cybercriminals. Police of various states often visit the village to arrest cyber gangs.
