The Ahmedabad Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch has arrested two men from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly cheating a man of over ₹47 lakh by posing as officials from the Ministry of Finance, NPCI, and other government bodies in a fake insurance refund scam.
The accused, Sumit Kumar (32) and Ashu Agarwal (27), both residents of Modinagar in Ghaziabad, were caught after a detailed investigation using technical and human intelligence.
According to police, the case was filed after the victim reported being duped of ₹47.35 lakh between April 2022 and March 2026. The fraudsters claimed they would help release money linked to an LIC policy.
They contacted the victim through multiple phone numbers, pretending to be senior officials from NPCI, the Finance Ministry, IT departments, and legal teams. The victim was told that ₹10 lakh related to his LIC policy was stuck with a government department and could be released.
To make the story believable, the accused allegedly asked the victim to pay money repeatedly for taxes, stamp duty, legal fees, and processing charges. They also sent fake documents on WhatsApp, including forged NPCI ID cards, Aadhaar cards, and other fake government credentials.
The victim was further lured with promises that he would receive a total of ₹1.48 crore, including refunds and compensation.
Police said the accused even convinced the victim to open bank accounts in ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank and get new SIM cards, which were later sent to Delhi and used to move money under the pretense of official transfers.
Sumit Kumar is believed to be the main caller who impersonated different officials using fake names. He also created fake email IDs in the names of the Ministry of Finance, Supreme Court, and CBI to gain trust. Police said he had earlier worked in call centres in Noida and Ghaziabad and was running the scam from home. Further investigation is ongoing.