Ranchi police arrested 10 people during raids on rented flats in two residential complexes and seized Rs 7.98 lakh in cash, 36 mobile phones, 32 ATM cards and other electronic devices and documents, officials said. Police described the operation as an alleged organised cyber fraud racket being run from Parashar Apartment near Piska More and Malti Apartment near Jatra Maidan.
The raids were conducted on Tuesday after police received a tip-off, Ranchi superintendent of police Paras Rana said on Wednesday. The locations fall under Sukhdeonagar police station and Pandra outpost jurisdictions respectively.
According to Rana, the suspects were using rented flats in the residential complexes as operating sites for the alleged fraud network. The group reportedly used multiple methods to deceive people, including posing as delivery agents and, in some cases, as job providers.
“Based on a tip-off, police carried out searches at Parashar Apartment near Piska More, under Sukhdeonagar police station limits, and Malti Apartment near Jatra Maidan, under Pandra outpost limits. The gang was operating a cyber-fraud racket from rented flats in these residential complexes. They used to dupe people using many tactics, including masking as delivery agents and sometimes as job providers,” Rana said.
The seizures included 36 mobile phones and 32 ATM cards, along with cash and other electronic devices and documents. Police have not disclosed the total number of victims, the amount allegedly obtained through the fraud or the specific cases that led investigators to the two flats in the material available.
The arrests also link the case to districts outside Ranchi. Nine of those arrested are from Palamu district, while one is from Garhwa district, Rana said. The police officer added that none of the 10 suspects had previous criminal records.
The use of rented flats places the alleged operation inside residential buildings rather than in a visibly separate commercial premises. In this case, police identified two apartment locations during searches following the tip-off. The available police account does not state how long the suspects had occupied the flats, whether landlords or neighbours had noticed unusual activity, or whether any property owners are being questioned.
The case highlights the challenge for city police of tracing fraud operations that can be conducted with mobile phones, bank cards and other portable devices from ordinary accommodation. It also shows how cybercrime investigations can involve multiple jurisdictions when suspects, rented premises and alleged victims are located in different places.
Police have so far announced the arrests and seizures. Further details about the alleged transactions, the identity of the victims, the charges filed and the next legal steps were not provided in the report.
