Cyber Crime Unit of Delhi Police obtained a grievance from the Ministry of Labour and Employment on June 25, 2019. The grievance cited that the Ministry of Labour and Employment received an email from one Lalit Dagar. In the email, Lalit Dagar had claimed that he’s the newly appointed Pay and Accounts Officer, Pay and Accounts Office. In the mail, Lalit Dagar noted that he is also newly appointed Director General of Employment, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Chennai. Lalit Dagar had asked to approve his ID on the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) as a Pay and Accounts Officer in an email. To create this ID, he had noted any other electronic mail ID with a cellular number and a landline number.
This mail had attachments; one associated with his appointment as Pay and Accounts Officer, beneath the fake letterhead of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The alternative one became a request for approval of his ID as Pay and Accounts Officer. After scrutiny with the aid of the accounts office, it was found that no such individual with the call of Lalit Dagar is posted in the Pay and Accounts Office. The Cyber Crime Unit of Delhi Police at once registered a crook case under sections of the IT Act.
A unique team was shaped, and the investigation changed into technical assistance from the labs of Cyber Prevention Awareness and Detection (CyPAD). After painstaking efforts, the accused, i.e., the creator of the fake ID, turned into identified, and his vicinity turned into zeroed all the way down to Moregaon district in Assam. A crew of CyPAD reached Moregaon and apprehended the accused. The 21-year-vintage accused changed into recognized as Noor Mohammad Ali. The gadgets and SIM playing cards used to create fake IDs and get in touch with critical authorities’ places of work have been recovered from the accused. Further investigation is underway.
THE INTERROGATION
On interrogation, it has been found out that the accused Noor Mohammad changed into arrested earlier this 12 months by Delhi Police for the same offense in which he along with his friends had controlled to create and get approved a fake ID of Pay effectively and Accounts Officer inside the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and managed to create payments/sanctions fraudulently and thus, transfer money to the song of Rs three.86 crore owed to a couple of banks.
Noor Mohammad got here on bail some weeks ago and determined to commit a similar offense once more, as he thought he would not be caught this time. The PFMS is the fee gateway for all ministries of the Government of India. It has been developed using and is operational below the Controller General of Accounts, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. The very last charge in each department is made through the office of the Pay and Accounts Officer. Thus, growing a faux ID of a Pay and Accounts Officer is the first and most important step in this fraud, which can have caused massive fraud with several authorities and ministries.
In this unique instance, the accused logged directly to the internet site of the PFMS and tried to create a faux ID of the Pay and Accounts Officer of the ministry. The IDs created on the PFMS are to be accredited using the Principal Accounts Office of the concerned ministry. When the request for such approval was obtained over e-mail at the Principal Accounts Office, the debts officer grew suspicious and requested supporting documents. The accused then despatched solid and fabricated files to try to pretend to be a newly appointed Pay and Accounts Officer in the ministry. Similar lawsuits have also been obtained from different ministries, including coal, civil aviation, and regulation. The equally accused, Noor Mohammad, had attempted to get fake and bogus PFMS IDs approved.
