Cops hit a stone wall after they track IP addresses and app back ends to Chinese cities as 11-state investigation enters rough waters
In some cases, scammers used broadband services in Nepal and Bangladesh to activate WhatsApp numbers. Representation pic
The investigation into the loan app case following the arrest of five men by the Maharashtra cybercops appears to have hit the dead end with the emergence of Chinese links. Maharashtra Cyber, the nodal agency for cyber security and cybercrime investigation in the state, has found that one of the Gmail IDs used to upload the Handy Loan app on Google Play Store was activated from China.
The cyber police have also found that the WhatsApp numbers used to harass borrowers of the Handy Loan app were active in at least 11 states other than Karnataka from where the five accused were arrested last month. The action followed a series of reports by mid-day that highlighted the harassment of borrowers with their morphed pictures.
Also read: Two more loan app cases with Nepal link come to the fore
The arrested recovery agents last month. File pic
Sources in Maharashtra Cyber said the agency has tracked the IP address of the Handy Loan app to China. “There are two email IDs which were used to activate the Handy Loan app and one belongs to China,” said an officer of Maharashtra Cyber.
The investigation has shown that the kingpins behind the digital lending scam used broadband…
