Dehradun, Sept. 16 -- The cyber cell of Uttarakhand Police has arrested an alleged mastermind behind a Rs.98-lakh cyber fraud, from Kolkata, a police official said. The police also recovered a mobile phone (with SIM card) used in the crime, four cheque books, three passbooks, and two ATM cards from the accused. According to officials, the accused Mridul Sur, a resident of Purba Medinipur, created fake profiles on Facebook and WhatsApp and used multiple international and local mobile numbers to win the trust of a Dehradun resident. He initially gave small returns to lure the complainant into investing, later posing as a representative of a financial advisory company (IFDCINVESTOR). Between July 28, 2020, and August 9, 2024, the victim was made to transfer nearly Rs.98 lakh into various bank accounts. Senior superintendent of police (STF) Navneet Singh Bhullar said the case was registered at cyber crime police station in Dehradun in December 2024. "Our team obtained data from banks, service providers and Meta, which eventually led to the accused's identification. Despite being served a notice to join the investigation under the CrPC, he continued to evade it. We then secured a non-bailable warrant against him from the court. He was arrested from Sukasa Tower, Eden Park, Kolkata." On the accused's modus operandi, the SSP said, "The accused won the complainant's trust by using WhatsApp calls, messages and different mobile numbers. Posing as a financial advisor, he lured the victim with promises of high returns and initially sent back small amounts to build confidence. Later, the accused repeatedly demanded money in the name of investments through different bank accounts, and eventually defrauded the complainant of nearly Rs.98 lakh. When the victim asked for his money , the accused threatened and blackmailed him, claiming the funds had been used in illegal activities and warning that his family would be harmed if he reported the matter." "Our investigation revealed that Mridul Sur, along with his associates, played different roles in the network, including financial advisor, bank account holder and technical facilitator. Sur himself was an active member of the network. Efforts are on to trace and arrest other accused of the network," he said....