Police have cracked an interstate cyber fraud racket in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district following a joint operation involving the Cyber Crime Cell, Muhammadabad Gohna Police, and Kotwali Police. Three men from Jharkhand have been arrested, and two juveniles taken into custody, over allegations that the gang used stolen mobile phones to carry out UPI-based fraud. Police say the same group was also behind a ₹6 lakh cyber fraud case reported in the Muhammadabad Gohna area about two months back.
How the Gang Was Caught
The bust happened during a routine vehicle-checking drive on Saturday, when officers received a tip-off that members of an interstate cyber fraud gang had gathered near the Ramlila Railway Ground in the Kotwali area — allegedly preparing to pull off another scam. Acting fast, teams from the Cyber Crime Cell, Muhammadabad Gohna Police, and Kotwali Police moved in and surrounded the location.
The three men arrested have been identified as Sudama Mahto, Raju Sharma, and Chhotu Kumar Sah — all residents of the Taljhari police station area in Sahibganj district, Jharkhand. Police said this trio had actually been on the run in connection with an earlier fraud case, and multiple raids had already been conducted at their suspected hideouts before they were finally tracked down.
23 Phones, 17 of Them Stolen
During the raid, police recovered a total of 23 mobile phones from the group. What's striking is that 17 of these phones turned out to be stolen — lifted from various locations. All the seized phones, SIM cards, and other digital devices have now been sent for forensic examination. Investigators are currently going through UPI transaction records, banking data, contact lists, chat histories, and call records to piece together the full scale of the network's operations — a process similar in rigour to how professional auditing services in India trace and reconstruct financial trails to expose exactly how funds moved and where they ended up.
How the Scam Actually Worked
During questioning, the accused reportedly revealed their method: they'd target crowded markets, railway stations, and other busy public places to steal phones. Once they had a device, they'd either swap out the SIM or exploit the banking apps already installed on the phone to create new UPI IDs through QR-code registration. These fake UPI accounts were then used to carry out unauthorised transactions straight from victims' bank accounts. Police also allege that some of the stolen phones were sent to Jharkhand and sold to other cybercriminals — effectively feeding a wider network that kept the fraud going.
A Bigger Network Under Investigation
Investigators believe the arrested trio's involvement extends beyond this one incident — they're now examining whether the gang carried out similar frauds in other UP districts or even neighbouring states. Police are tracing banking trails, digital payment records, and mobile data to establish connections with additional cybercrime cases and identify other people linked to the racket.
Expert Advice: Act Fast If Your Phone Is Stolen
Commenting on the case, cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh pointed out that mobile phone theft today is no longer just a simple property crime — stolen phones often give criminals direct access to banking apps, digital wallets, and sensitive personal financial data. His advice: if your phone is stolen, immediately block the SIM card, disable UPI and mobile banking linked to that device, and report it right away through the National Cyber Helpline (1930) or the Cyber Crime Portal.
The arrested accused have been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody, while police continue investigating the remaining members of the network and the full extent of its financial operations.
FAQs
Q1. How many mobile phones were recovered in the Mau UPI fraud case?
Police recovered 23 mobile phones, of which 17 were confirmed to have been stolen from different locations.
Q2. How did the accused use stolen phones to commit fraud?
They allegedly targeted crowded public places to steal phones, then used the banking apps on the devices or swapped SIMs to create fake UPI IDs and carry out unauthorised transactions.
Q3. What should you do if your mobile phone is stolen?
Experts advise immediately blocking the SIM card, disabling UPI and mobile banking linked to the phone, and reporting the theft via the National Cyber Helpline 1930 or the Cyber Crime Portal.