In a typical case of protectors becoming looters, two Delhi Police officers of the rank of sub-inspectors have been arrested for allegedly siphoning off money from case property related to cyber-crime investigations in northeast Delhi.
Even though Delhi Police has been consistently uncovering the cyber fraud cases and unmasking the accused involved, in this case it was an internal probe triggered by irregularities flagged during the disposal of cases at the Cyber police station in Northeast district, police said. The findings prompted the mandated action of arrests, the officials handling the case said.
Three FIRs were registered against the investigating officer who was missing since March 19."A special team led by Inspector Rahul, SHO of Cyber Police Station, and comprising SI Nandan Singh, Head Constables Amit and Rohan, and Constable Deepak, was constituted to investigate the matter," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ashish Mishra said in a statement.
During a routine audit of disposed-case properties, discrepancies in account statements and judicial order formats raised red flags.
"Detailed scrutiny revealed that forged judicial orders -- supposedly issued in favour of complainants -- had been used to siphon off Rs 75 lakh from cyber-fraud recoveries," the statement read.
The team employed both technical surveillance and ground-level intelligence gathering to track the absconding officer, Sub-Inspector Ankur Malik (32), to Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Police sources said Malik had switched multiple SIM cards and was using encrypted applications to communicate with his associates.
"On July 18, a coordinated raid with local police was conducted at a rented flat in Indore. Malik and a woman accomplice, who is also an SI of the Delhi Police, were apprehended from the premises. During the raid, the team recovered Rs 12 lakh in cash, 820 grams of gold coins and bars, 200 grams of gold jewellery, 11 mobile phones, a laptop, three ATM cards and several incriminating documents," the statement read.
"Analysis of the laptop and mobile data pointed to a broader nexus involving the use of mule bank accounts to route the stolen money," said a source, privy to the investigation.During interrogation, Malik revealed the names of other accomplices, leading to subsequent raids in Delhi and the arrest of Mohammad Ilyaas (40), Arif (35) and Shadab (23) -- all residents of northeast Delhi. The trio had allegedly provided their bank accounts to facilitate the illegal transfers in return for commissions.Sources said the accused were planning to settle permanently in Indore. The investigation is however going on in the case.
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