Bengaluru: Another instant loan app firm raided, 3 held
BENGALURU: Sleuths
from Central Crime Branch (CCB) probing the alleged extortion and
blackmail racket run by companies promising instant loans through mobile
apps have arrested three staffers of one such firm in the city and
recovered incriminating material, including 35 laptops and 218 mobile
phones.
Preliminary probe revealed the apps were handled by Chinese
citizens with servers based in China. Besides deducting nearly one third
of the loan upfront, the racketeers charged exorbitant interest rates
and harassed borrowers by hacking their phones. They also formed
WhatsApp groups by adding the contacts of their customers and posted
defamatory content against them.
Last week, CCB and CID had registered more than five cases regarding the racket. CID had raided four firms and arrested two persons. Officials from Intelligence Bureau have now joined the probe. Of the four firms raided, three were run by Chinese citizens.
Joint commissioner of
police (crime) Sandeep Patil said, “As of now, we have arrested three
men from the city. We have definite clues and evidence against two
Chinese involved in the alleged racket. We shall arrest them soon.”
On Sunday, CCB sleuths raided Acepearl Services Ltd with an office in Koramangala
VII Block and arrested Syed Ahmed, 33, of Shamanna Garden in
Hosaguddadahalli, Syed Irfan, 26, of EWS Colony, BTM Layout II Stage and
Aditya Senapati, 25, of Ramagondanahalli in Varthur Kodi. CCB police
said the accused ran the racket through seven apps owned by Chinese
citizens.
“During the raid, it was found that other firms dealing in instant loans through apps — Higeki service Pvt ltd, Eceedwell Service Pvt Ltd, Mascotstar Sevice Pvt Ltd and Aqua Service Pvt Ltd — were also working from the same premises,” an investigator said.
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