Delhi Police Arrest 22-Year-Old Man in ₹30.81 Lakh Fake UPI Cyber Fraud
Delhi Police have arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly using fake UPI payment screenshots to cheat shopkeepers and stealing their mobile phones to make unauthorised financial transactions amounting to over ₹30.81 lakh.
The accused, identified as Nikhil Yadav, was arrested on August 20 following an investigation into a ₹1 lakh cyber fraud reported by a clothes shop owner in Sadar Bazar.
According to police, Yadav targeted small retail shops during routine, low-value purchases and showed shopkeepers digitally manipulated payment screenshots to convince them that the money had been transferred. When shopkeepers noticed the amount was not credited to their bank accounts, Yadav offered to help resolve the issue to gain access to their mobile phones. If the device was not handed over, he attempted to observe or obtain the victim's UPI credentials before stealing or snatching the phone.
Yadav then used the phones and compromised credentials to carry out unauthorised transactions through banking and UPI applications. The stolen funds were moved into mule bank accounts and withdrawn from ATMs to prevent tracing.
The investigation began after a complaint was registered on March 29 by Vishnu Kumar Goyal, owner of a clothes shop in Sadar Bazar. Yadav had purchased clothes from Goyal, presented a fake payment screenshot, and later accessed the shopkeeper's phone to transfer ₹1 lakh from his account. An e-FIR was subsequently filed at the Cyber North police station.
Technical analysis of telecom records and banking transactions led police to a mule account held by Shahina, a resident of Malka Ganj. After being apprehended, she disclosed that the funds were transferred to Tarun, a resident of Burari. Tarun was subsequently nabbed and informed investigators that he handed over the money in cash to Yadav.
Police said cross-verification of evidence linked Yadav to seven other cases in Delhi and Mumbai, including matters registered at Cyber North West, Model Town, Sarai Rohilla, Sabzi Mandi, and Roop Nagar police stations, as well as Shivdi and Tardeo in Mumbai. Yadav, who has studied up to Class 12, was previously involved in eight cases of theft and cheating. Further investigation remains underway.
