Lucknow: Following the arrest of two Nepalese nationals in connection with a digital fraud case in the city, the Uttar Pradesh special task force (STF) said that a Chinese national could be the mastermind of the gang.
The STF had arrested two persons, Saroj Khanal and Shivram Rimal, and found during preliminary investigation that the duo worked under a Chinese national, identified as Ben.
According to deputy superintendent of police, STF, Deepak Kumar Singh, the arrested Nepalese suspects confessed that Ben lured them into financial fraud.
He said that the duo worked as waiters in a casino in Dubai where they met Ben who reportedly convinced them to execute financial frauds.
He added that Khanal and Rimal had been executing digital arrest frauds throughout India for the last one years.
Sources in the STF said that preliminary findings indicated that Ben created a network of operatives to expand his illegal operations across multiple states in India.
"The suspects admitted they targeted India specifically due to perceived weaknesses in financial oversight, which they claimed, made it easier to gain access to accounts of people and transfer funds covertly," an official said.
During interrogation, Khanal and Rimal revealed that Ben operated alongside Chakre Milan, a prominent gangster from Nepal. Milan, known as one of the most influential gang leaders of Nepal, is allegedly connected to Ben's network, suggesting ties between international organised crime groups and digital fraud operation.
Milan and his associates are known for involvement in illegal activities across Nepal and India, and the STF suspects that Ben used these connections to shield himself while operating in India.
The STF found that Khanal and Rimal used fake Indian identities of Rahul Kumar and Pankaj Sridhar and gave false addresses in Lucknow.
According to the STF, the funds were then transferred to accounts in Cambodia, Singapore, China, and Nepal, bypassing traditional banking scrutiny.
Senior officials said that they were working to unearth the network of the gang and other members associated with them. The STF is also trying to track Ben.