Patiala, Dec. 26 -- The Patiala police have frozen nearly 25 bank accounts linked to a cyberfraud gang and stopped the transfer of around Rs.3 crore belonging to former IPS officer AS Chahal, who allegedly attempted suicide after falling victim to a fraud, officials said on Thursday. Chahal was allegedly duped of Rs.8.1 crore. Senior police officials said the frozen amount was secured before it could be siphoned off. These accounts were identified from the documents provided by Chahal, which showed transactions made by several investors, including himself. "We have managed to freeze 25 bank accounts linked to the accused and have been able to stop the transfer of nearly Rs.3 crore from the total amount that was transferred by the former IPS officer," a senior police official said. The cyber crime police station of Patiala had registered an FIR against unidentified persons under Sections 316(2), 336(3), 340(2), 318(4), 319(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act. The sections pertain to criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating by personation and forgery with intent to cheat. Chahal, who retired in 2019, allegedly opened fire on himself at his residence in Patiala on Monday. During the investigation, police recovered a 12-page suicide note purportedly written by him to Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, alleging large-scale cheating by cyber criminals posing as wealth management advisors through a WhatsApp group, titled F777 DBS Wealth Equity Research Group. In the note, Chahal claimed that he had been subjected to severe mental distress after being cheated of Rs.8.1 crore. The former IPS officer also detailed the manner in which fraudsters allegedly manipulated him over an extended period, posing as officials and convincing him to transfer large sums of money to multiple bank accounts. Police officials further said that two to three individuals have been identified and nominated in the FIR, while the members of the cyber fraud gang have largely been identified. Preliminary investigations suggest that a majority of the suspects are based in Maharashtra, and raids are likely to be conducted at multiple locations in coordination with local police teams. Officials said efforts are underway to trace the remaining amount and identify the full network involved in the fraud. "The money trail is being examined carefully and further arrests are expected," the official said. Around 12 members are there in the gang, officials said, adding that the other victims included a few retired government officials. Meanwhile, Chahal, who has been undergoing treatment at Park Hospital, is stated to be stable. He has been taken off ventilator support and taking a soft diet, said the experts treating him. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital after a week, they added. Chahal, who retired as inspector general of police (IGP) in 2019, is one of the accused in the 2015 Kotkapura firing case related to a protest over sacrilege incident....