Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police has busted a racket involved in fraud using credit cards obtained in the names of other people through forged documents.
Police have arrested at least five persons including two billing agents of private hospitals in this connection.
The accused persons arrested so far have been identified as Biju Tripathy (58), Prasenjit Das alias Rinku (28), Mukesh Mantri, Abdul Rehman and Rajesh Das.
Police have recovered Rs 7,07,800 cash, 6 POS machines, six mobile phones, 450 credit and debit cards, 50 cheque books, 78 bank passbooks and 03 sackfuls of money receipts.
Addressing a presser here today, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh informed that the gang in connivance with billing agents of private hospitals used to make payments for patients and utilised the cash for other purposes during the repayment window of 30-45 days.
Singh said that the gang was busted on the basis of a complaint filed by one Rakesh Kumar (32) at the Cyber Police Station on December 17 wherein he alleged that one credit card has been issued in his name without his knowledge which he came to know after being denied loan by a bank for poor CIBIL score (credit rating) because of a credit card outstanding against his name.
Singh informed that following the complaint Cyber Police through its investigation traced the bank which had issued the credit card and identified one Biju Tripathy (58) of Pipili—the person who was using it.
“Cyber Police team recovered cash around Rs 7,07,800, around 450 credit and debit cards, 6 mobile phones, 50 cheque books, 78 bank passbooks, six POS machines and 3 sackfuls of money receipt from Biju Tripathy’s home. By now we have calculated transactions to the tune of Rs 2 crore from the money receipts and it is still continuing,” Singh said.
Singh said that Biju Tripathy used to issue credit cards in the name of other persons through which he used to make bill payment of patients at different private hospitals in connivance with billing agents by swiping and get cash in lieu of that.
“He used the cash for other purposes and earn profit during the window period of 30-40 days available and shared the profit with the billing agents of the hospitals and the card holders. As it appears to us he has circulated huge amount. During further investigation we came to know that some credit cards have been issued in the name of some persons by way of forgery by submitting Aadhar Card and other documents in the bank. One of these was the one issued against the name of Rakesh Kumar,” Singh revealed.
The DCP informed that one Prasenjit Das alias Rinku (28) and Mukesh Mantri used to supply credit cards to Biju Tripathy using forged documents have been nabbed.
He said Abdul Rehman and Rajesh Das, billing agents of private hospitals who were involved in the fraudulent transactions have been also nabbed.
“The investigation is in the preliminary stage so involvement of more persons in the racket cannot be ruled out. Further investigation is underway,” he added.
