Two Arrested in Tamil Nadu Scholarship Fraud Scheme
Delhi police arrested two individuals for a scholarship fraud targeting Tamil Nadu residents, recovering data of 54,000 contacts.
New Delhi, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : Delhi police have apprehended two individuals involved in a scholarship fraud scheme that targeted residents of Tamil Nadu. The arrests followed a complaint from Muthu Kumar, who was deceived into transferring approximately ₹17,989 online under the pretense of securing a scholarship for higher education.
The accused, identified as Sachin Sharma and Sumit, facilitated the transfer of scammed funds through a mule bank account in exchange for a commission. The East District Cyber Police Station uncovered the fraud by examining banking records, ATM CCTV footage, and digital evidence.
The investigation began after Kumar reported the incident on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Police traced the funds to a Bank of India account from which cash was withdrawn at an ATM in East Delhi. Their inquiries revealed that Sachin was the individual who made the withdrawals, leading to his arrest on October 17. During questioning, Sachin disclosed that he had provided his sister’s ATM card and UPI access details to Sumit for a commission.
Sachin admitted to withdrawing ₹10,000 and transferring ₹8,000 using Sumit’s UPI details, claiming he was unaware that the money was linked to cyber fraud. Following his revelations, police arrested Sumit on October 21 and seized a mobile phone containing Excel files shared via WhatsApp, which included data on nearly 54,000 contacts, including that of the complainant.
Sumit revealed that a woman he knew had sent these files on August 6. She allegedly targeted Tamil-speaking families whose children had completed school and were seeking higher education, enticing them with false scholarship promises. Sumit was instructed to print the contact database and arrange a bank account to collect the fraudulent funds, which he reportedly handed over to the woman and her accomplice.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the roles of the woman and her associates. Police are analyzing the recovered device to identify additional victims, financial transactions, and potential leads related to the fraud network.
