LUCKNOW, June 27 -- Five members of an inter-district gang were arrested on Friday after an investigation into two cyber fraud cases in Lucknow uncovered their involvement in stealing and snatching mobile phones and using the victims' SIM cards to gain unauthorised access to bank accounts and digital wallets. The arrests were made during the investigation of an FIR registered at Mahaniganj police station after a complainant alleged that Rs.3.91 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from his bank account shortly after his mobile phone was snatched. The case has been registered under sections 309(4), 318(4), 238, 111(2)(II) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act. During investigation, police found similarities with another FIR registered at BKT police station, in which Rs.4.28 lakh was allegedly siphoned off through cyber fraud. Police believe both cases were linked to the same organised gang. According to investigators, the gang allegedly operated across Lucknow, Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri, targeting crowded markets, mandis and relatively isolated locations where mobile phones could be stolen or snatched without attracting attention. During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to exploiting the heavy crowds during Bada Mangal celebrations in Lucknow, stealing mobile phones from devotees attending community feasts organised across the city. Police said the stolen mobile phones were not merely sold. Instead, the accused allegedly removed the SIM cards and inserted them into other handsets to gain control of the victims' mobile numbers. Since many bank accounts, UPI IDs and digital wallets were linked to those numbers, the gang allegedly used them to gain access to banking services and transfer money into fraudulent accounts before withdrawing the cash through Jan Seva Kendras, ATMs and other channels. The investigation was handed over to a special cyber team of the Crime Branch after police noticed a pattern in which victims of mobile phone theft later reported unauthorised banking transactions. The accused were eventually tracked to Sitapur and adjoining areas, where raids led to their arrest. The five arrested accused have been identified as Ram Swaroop Maurya (31) and Amit Kumar (25) Subhash alias Satish alias Chhotu (23) Puttilal (31) and Ramu Rawat (36). All the accused are residents of Sitapur district. During the operation, investigators recovered 14 stolen or snatched mobile phones, two SIM cards, a car, a motorcycle, cash and other documents allegedly linked to the offences. Police suspect the recovered mobile phones may be connected to several theft and cyber fraud cases reported from Lucknow, Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri. Additional deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Kiran Yadav said the investigation revealed how organised gangs were increasingly converting mobile phone theft into cyber-enabled financial crime. "The arrests have helped uncover a network involved in stealing mobile phones and subsequently using them to commit cyber fraud," she said....