Police in Bihar’s Araria district have uncovered a cyber fraud gang using fingerprint scanning technology to illegally withdraw money from bank accounts and have arrested five accused in connection with the case.
Police said they had been receiving continuous complaints over recent months about suspicious withdrawals from bank accounts in Araria and nearby areas. Several victims reported that they had neither shared any one-time password nor provided bank details to anyone, yet money was withdrawn from their accounts. Taking the complaints seriously, police constituted a special investigation team and initiated a probe based on technical evidence.
The investigation revealed that the gang used fake identities to lure people in the name of government schemes, bank assistance or KYC updates. The accused then obtained victims’ thumb impressions using fingerprint scanning machines and withdrew money from their accounts. Police said the gang primarily targeted rural and less-educated people to prevent detection of the technical fraud.
Following raids, police arrested five members of the gang. Fingerprint scanning devices, multiple ATM cards, mobile phones, SIM cards and other incriminating documents were recovered from their possession. During preliminary questioning, the accused admitted they had been carrying out such fraud for a long period and had targeted several people.
Police officials said further questioning of the arrested accused is underway to identify other gang members and the wider network. Investigators are also examining where the defrauded money was transferred and whether a larger organised network was involved.
After the case, police appealed to the public to remain cautious. Police said that if anyone seeks fingerprint scanning, OTPs or personal information in the name of banks or government schemes, the matter should be immediately reported to the police or the concerned bank.
