Bank official arrested for aiding cybercriminals in ₹25.5L fraud

A deputy manager of a private bank has been arrested for allegedly assisting cybercriminals by providing fraudulently opened bank account that were used to dupe a Gurugram resident of ₹25.5 lakh, police said on Tuesday.

The arrested official, identified as Akashdeep Singh from Jasdan Mandi in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, was taken into custody on Monday and placed on a two-day police remand for further questioning, they added.

According to investigators, the cyber conmen defrauded a 70-year-old resident of Sector 83, Gurugram, by luring him into an investment scam. The victim lodged a complaint at the Cybercrime police station (Manesar) on February 29, following which an investigation was launched, police said.

Akashdeep, who was employed at the Jasdan Mandi branch, worked in conjunction with his colleague Harpreet Singh, a sales manager, to open a mule account in the name of Devender Singh, police said. Harpreet, a resident of Sector 24B in Fatehgarh Sahib, allegedly received ₹20,000 for his role in the scam, while Akashdeep was paid ₹10,000 as a commission. Police revealed that Devender, a native of Nohra in Patiala, was in direct contact with both the bank officials and the cybercriminals, providing his details to open the account in February.

Investigators said Devender, a native of Nohra in Patiala, was in contact with the bank officials as well as the cyber conmen and he had provided his details to the bankers to open the account in February this year. Inspector Sunil Kumar, station house officer of the Cybercrime police station (Manesar), said that the bank account was handed over to the cybercriminals for use in the fraud. “The money duped from the victim was transacted into Devender’s account, which was further transferred to other accounts,” Kumar explained.

Police arrested Harpreet and Devender a month ago, but further investigation revealed Akashdeep’s involvement, leading to his arrest. “Harpreet and Devender were arrested a month back, and after investigation, Akashdeep’s involvement also surfaced,” Kumar added.

At least six to eight more suspects are still at large, with the gang believed to be operating mule accounts across Maharashtra and other states. Akashdeep is the 18th bank official arrested by Gurugram police this year for their involvement with cybercriminals, police said, highlighting the growing concern of insider complicity in cyber fraud cases.