In a major crackdown on organised cyber fraud, the Chandigarh Cyber Crime Police have busted an interstate racket involved in credit card upgrade scams, leading to the arrest of three more individuals — two of them women. With these latest arrests, the total number of people held in connection with this case has now gone up to five. The syndicate reportedly operated by posing as bank officials and credit card executives, tricking unsuspecting victims into handing over sensitive banking details or clicking on malicious links.
How the First Scam Unfolded
The case traces back to a complaint filed on December 26, 2025, by a Sector-45 resident of Chandigarh who lost around ₹1.73 lakh. According to the complaint, the victim got a call from someone claiming to be an American Express executive, who convinced him that his SBI credit card was due for a premium upgrade.
To "process" this upgrade, the caller sent a Google Form link over WhatsApp. The moment the victim filled it in with his card details, the fraudsters got backend access to his account — and drained ₹1.73 lakh within moments through unauthorised transactions.
Police traced the call back to an illegal call centre running out of a residential flat in Delhi. Raids in January led to the arrest of three women running the telemarketing operation under fake identities. Soon after, on January 22, police picked up 40-year-old Sushil Kaushik from Haridwar, who allegedly arranged mule accounts, forged bank accounts, and fake SIM cards to move the stolen money around.
Investigators later arrested 43-year-old Ajay Singh (also known as Ajay Singh Maan), believed to be the mastermind behind the call centre. During questioning, Singh reportedly confessed to sourcing stolen customer data, arranging fake SIMs, and setting up mule accounts to launder the funds. He's currently in two days of police custody as investigators dig deeper into the money trail.
A Second, Similar Scam Surfaces
Just when this case seemed to be wrapping up, another one surfaced. On June 30, a fresh complaint came in — this time, a victim lost ₹1.92 lakh after being duped by callers posing as SBI representatives. The scammers convinced him to share his OTP, CVV, and card expiry details over the phone, and the money was gone almost instantly.
Acting on technical leads, Chandigarh Cyber Police raided a rented property in Uttam Nagar, Delhi, and caught two women red-handed making fraudulent calls. The raid turned up 10 mobile phones, several active SIM cards, and multiple digital storage devices — all allegedly used to run the scam.
Tracing the Money — One Account at a Time
What both cases have in common is a clear, organised pattern: these syndicates buy leaked customer databases, hire trained callers, and use scripted, high-pressure tactics to manipulate victims into giving up their financial details.
Now, with devices, SIM cards, and bank accounts seized, the Chandigarh Cyber Police are working through detailed forensic checks to reconstruct exactly how the money moved — from the victim's account, through mule accounts, and out into the hands of the syndicate. This is exactly where the value of proper bookkeeping services in India becomes evident — maintaining clean, traceable financial records isn't just good business practice, it's often the very thing that helps investigators spot irregular fund transfers and unmask fraud networks before they can expand further. Police are also coordinating with agencies in neighbouring states to check if the accused are linked to similar cybercrime cases across North India, with more arrests expected soon.