Aligarh, UP: In a shocking cybercrime case, Aligarh police have arrested a cyber fraudster who allegedly learned how to clone thumbs from YouTube and siphoned off ₹35 lakh from victims’ bank accounts using the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AEPS). The accused was apprehended from Gurugram.
Modus Operandi of the Cyber Thief
According to police, the suspect, identified as Shivam Kumar, son of Dinesh Kumar Kushwaha from Fatehpur, purchased an online rubber stamp-making machine for around ₹14,000. Using polymer curing chemicals, he created rubber fingerprint clones of unsuspecting victims. To obtain fingerprints and Aadhaar numbers, he reportedly downloaded PDFs of sale deeds from the revenue department’s website.
Once the cloned thumb was ready, he placed it on a biometric machine, entered the victim’s Aadhaar number in the AEPS app, and transferred funds from their bank accounts into his Banking Correspondent (BC) wallet, later withdrawing cash from Jan Seva Centers. Using this method, Shivam allegedly defrauded victims of approximately ₹35 lakh.
Arrest and Seizures
Following complaints from the victims, the Cyber Police registered cases under Sections 420 and 66D of the IT Act. During the investigation, Shivam Kumar, who was absconding, was arrested from the Bhangrola area of Gurugram.
The police recovered from him:
- 689 cloned fingerprints
- 6 mobile phones
- 2 SSDs
- 13 SIM cards
- 2 biometric machines
- 1 HP laptop
Crime Officer Surjan Singh stated that seven other accused had already been chargesheeted in the case. Shivam also faces fraud cases in Kanpur and Fatehgarh. The police have urged the public to remain vigilant while sharing Aadhaar and biometric information.
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