Hyderabad, Aug 26 (PTI) Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar on Wednesday issued an advisory cautioning the public against an emerging crime type called ‘Hybrid Cyber Fraud’, which combines conventional physical pickpocketing with sophisticated digital financial crimes to siphon off funds from victims' bank accounts.

Busting the racket, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Wing has arrested three key members of an interstate syndicate and seized five mobile phones used in the commission of these offences, Sajjanar said in a release.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the syndicate systematically preyed upon senior citizens, daily commuters, and technologically vulnerable individuals in crowded public transit areas across the city.

"The syndicate committed the crime through a well-planned, multi-stage strategy. First, members of the syndicate identify elderly commuters carrying smartphones in busy RTC buses, bus stations, railway platforms, and crowded junctions. Standing close to them, the members of the gang would discreetly observe and memorise the victim's screen-lock PIN, pattern, or password through shoulder-surfing, following which they created deliberate distractions in moving crowds to steal the device from pockets or bags," Sajjanar said.

When the victim dialled their lost number, under the pretext of verifying genuine ownership or safely powering off the device, the fraudster would induce the distressed victim into disclosing their screen-lock PIN. In other scenarios, they claimed that another person was contesting ownership of the phone, insisting on the screen password as proof of legitimate ownership, the Commissioner said.

Once unauthorised access to the device was secured—or in cases where phones were already unlocked—the technical handlers of the gang thoroughly scoured the phone's gallery, WhatsApp media, file managers, and Notes applications, he said.

"They will extract sensitive financial artefacts commonly stored by users, including photographs of debit and credit cards (along with visible CVVs), Aadhaar and PAN cards, bank passbook copies, and recorded PINs. Since the victim's active SIM card was under the syndicate's physical control, the accused accessed popular UPI applications as well as Mobile Banking portals. By intercepting incoming SMS verification codes and OTPs, they swiftly reset UPI PINs and Net Banking credentials, draining account balances, fixed deposits, and linked credit facilities within minutes," Sajjanar further said.

To evade law enforcement tracking and obscure the digital audit trail, the siphoned funds were not deposited directly into personal accounts; instead, the gang layered the proceeds through accounts created on online gaming platforms, digital entertainment wallets, and a multi-tier network of mule bank accounts procured on a commission basis before withdrawing the cash via ATMs, he said.

He said the investigation underscores that the gang functioned as a structured corporate syndicate, with designated sub-units responsible for target scouting, physical theft, technical exploitation of banking credentials, and financial laundering.

The Hyderabad Police advised citizens never to disclose screen-lock PINs, banking passwords, or OTPs over phone calls, even if the caller identifies themselves as a bus conductor, driver, or good Samaritan promising to return a lost phone.

Citizens were warned against storing photographs of debit/credit cards, CVVs, passbooks, and identity cards in phone galleries or note apps. In the event of a mobile theft, victims must immediately contact their telecom service provider to block the SIM card within minutes to prevent OTP interception and contact their respective banks to freeze digital banking and UPI services, police added. PTI VVK VVK ADB