(MENAFN- IANS) Davanagere (Karnataka), Oct 11 (IANS) The Karnataka police have cracked a gang of cyber criminals involved in siphoning off Rs 150 crore in Davanagere city and arrested one of the accused on Saturday, officials said. The authorities have frozen Rs 18 crore in the case.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that between July 27 and August 19, deposits amounting to Rs 150 crore were made into the account of the arrested accused, Syed Arafat, 28, a resident of Shantinagar in Belur taluk of Hassan district. The gang had withdrawn Rs 132 crore, while the police have frozen the rest amount, Rs 18 crore.

A hunt has been launched for the other two accused. The case was taken up for investigation following a complaint by H.N. Pramod, who reported that Rs 54.16 lakh had been siphoned off from his account in a reputed bank.

A special team led by Dy SP of Davanagere Cyber Crime Police Station, Bankali Nagappa, was formed to investigate the case. Based on information provided by the arrested accused, the team is making efforts to nab the other two culprits.

The gang was found to be involved in cyber fraud in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), Eluru (Andhra Pradesh), Mumbai (Maharashtra), Davanagere, and Bengaluru (Karnataka). Police suspect that the gang has been carrying out cyber crimes across the country.

Davanagere District SP Uma Prashanth appreciated the efforts of the police team for cracking the case.

Talking to IANS, Davanagere SP Uma Prashanth stated, "Constant follow-up and technical analysis helped arrest the accused. The accused is a resident of Hassan district in Karnataka, and we were able to apprehend him."

She further appealed, "We are observing Cyber Crime Awareness Month and have taken steps to educate people about cyber crimes. Awareness is always important, as 90 per cent of cybercrime victims are educated. It is crucial to ensure safety measures and use technology responsibly. Last year, a higher number of digital fraud cases were reported, but this year it has reduced quite a bit."

"It is not always true that money lost in online fraud is gone forever. Although there are difficulties, our sleuths are well-trained to track such cases. We have recovered money in cybercrime cases and have now successfully arrested the accused. We are working hard, as the accused often operate through private networks, sometimes across states or even from international borders. The police department is putting in its best efforts," she stated.

SP Uma Prashanth also stated that the complainant, H.N. Pramod, will be refunded the full amount, Rs 54.16 lakh, that was siphoned from his account.

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