UP Police bust inter-state cyber fraud racket in Kanpur, 19 youths arrested

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday said it had busted an inter-state cyber fraud racket operating from a village in Kanpur district and arrested 19 youths accused of cheating people by posing as facilitators of government welfare schemes.

The arrests were made during a coordinated operation by the cyber crime branch and the Special Operations Group (SOG) after receiving specific intelligence inputs. Acting on the information, police teams surrounded the village in the Revna area and sealed all entry and exit points before launching the raid to prevent suspects from escaping.

Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the accused were part of a well-organised cyber fraud network targeting unsuspecting individuals across multiple states.

“The gang used fake documents and mule bank accounts to siphon off money from unsuspecting victims,” Lal told PTI.

According to officials, the suspects allegedly contacted people through phone calls and online platforms, claiming they could help them secure benefits under various government welfare schemes , and then fraudulently transferred money using mule accounts.

During the search operation, police recovered several mobile phones, forged documents , records related to welfare schemes and details of bank accounts allegedly used to route illicit funds. Investigators believe the network has inter-state links and may have cheated hundreds of victims , though the total financial loss is still being assessed.

The situation briefly turned tense as villagers gathered near the site of the operation. Police deployed additional forces to maintain order, while officers used loudhailers to warn suspects to surrender and cooperate.

All 19 accused are currently being interrogated and will be produced before a local court. Police said the investigation is continuing and more arrests are likely as authorities trace the wider network and financial trail.