Surat, Oct 15 — The Surat City Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a 26-year-old man from Haryana for allegedly facilitating a Rs 40 lakh ‘boss scam’ by providing bank accounts used in cyber fraud, police said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Naveen Jat, allegedly arranged three bank accounts for use in cyber fraud after obtaining them through a firm registered in the name of another accused, Amit Chamar, on the promise of sending him to Dubai.
Police said Naveen paid a commission of Rs 5,000 to obtain the accounts and later handed them over to an absconding accused for a commission of Rs 40,000.
The case concerns an alleged fraud in which a ZIP file containing malicious code was sent to the complainant’s mobile phone through WhatsApp from an unknown number.
The sender subsequently created a fake WhatsApp profile bearing the complainant’s photograph and contacted the company’s accountant, impersonating the owner.
After obtaining information about the company’s bank balance, the fraudster allegedly induced the accountant to transfer Rs 40 lakh from an IndusInd Bank account.
A case was registered at the Surat Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 318(4), 336(2), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, as amended in 2008.
Police said the IndusInd Bank current account allegedly used in the fraud recorded transactions worth Rs 53.06 lakh between April 8 and May 24, 2026. The investigation was conducted under the supervision of senior officials.
A team led by Inspector N.R. Patel, with Police Sub-Inspector V.B. Prajapati and other personnel, was sent to Haryana after a technical investigation helped trace the accused.
Amit Chamar, 21, a casual labourer from Hisar district in Haryana, had been arrested earlier in the case.
Police said Rs 18.5 lakh had so far been refunded to the complainant. During the investigation, seven bank accounts from different banks were found on Naveen’s mobile phone.
A check on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal revealed that one of the accounts was linked to a separate alleged boss scam reported in Maharashtra involving Rs 87.60 lakh.
Police have urged people not to open ZIP files received through WhatsApp from unknown numbers.
They have also advised company employees to verify requests for fund transfers by contacting the owner on their regular mobile number, even if the message appears to come from the owner’s WhatsApp account.
In cases of financial cyber fraud, victims should immediately call the national cybercrime helpline '1930', police said, as prompt reporting can improve the chances of freezing funds in bank accounts.