₹80 Crore Interstate Cyber Fraud Run by ‘Digital King’ Busted

In another crackdown on an illegal investment operation allegedly carried out by a gang led by a man popularly known as Digital King, the Kanpur police have busted an INR 80 crore interstate cyber fraud, with the help of Naubasta police and Lucknow STF. Upon a close investigation, the fund trail was allegedly found linked to an account operated by Karan Kasera, alias Digital King, and his aide Gulshan Kumar, alias Kaira, in Delhi.

The Detection of Fund Trail

A complainant, while registering a case at Naubasta police station, stated that he received a Facebook link on his mobile phone, inviting him to be part of an equity group for share trading. After clicking on the link, the user was added to a WhatsApp group, Shraddha Shakti, where he was allegedly convinced to invest for high returns. The user transferred INR 7 lakh in multiple investments before the shutdown of the app, resulting in his funds being siphoned off.

Later, the user filed a complaint on the NCRP portal and lodged an FIR at Naubasta police station. While investigating, the police came to know about the multiple bank accounts through which the defrauded amount had been transferred and touched the New Delhi account by the fifth layer. The inquiry revealed that over 600 complaints have been lodged against this bank account on the NCRP portal nationwide, with 13 FIR registrations in different districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Arrests in Punjab, More Losses Recovered

Police stated that around INR 26 crore was defrauded in the registered cases. On the other hand, the suspect account held by Ajay Kumar in Delhi recorded transactions of nearly INR 80 crore. Previously, one individual had a digital arrest, and around INR 35 lakh was returned to that person from the suspect account.

As the case seemed serious, the Naubasta police team took action in the Abohar area of Fazikka district in Punjab. Investigators found that the account was opened in the name of Ajay Kumar, a cobbler. However, the investigation led to the conclusion that it was operated allegedly by his associates Gulshan Kumar and Karan Kasera. These two were arrested on April 18, 2026.

Digital Evidence Indicates a Well-Organized Fraud Network

Ajay, who had previously been arrested by the Delhi Police and jailed, was found to be linked to the case. According to investigators, Kasera and Kumar confessed to deceiving individuals by luring them with promises of doubling or tripling their investments through trading schemes promoted on Telegram and WhatsApp. Authorities discovered that the siphoned funds were routed through multiple bank accounts—often passing through five to six layers—to evade detection.

Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal stated that forensic analysis of confiscated iPhones uncovered numerous WhatsApp groups used to run the cyber fraud operation, involving both domestic and international numbers. The investigation further revealed that the defrauded money was withdrawn in cash via cheques and ATMs, and subsequently used for personal expenditures. The involvement of certain bank employees in facilitating suspicious transactions has also come under scrutiny, prompting the Income Tax Department to issue notices. Officials are continuing their probe to identify additional suspects, examine financial trails, and analyze digital evidence in greater detail.