Continuing to crack their whip on instant loan apps, the Cyberabad police have arrested four persons including a Chinese national. The Cyber Crime police made arrests after a raid on Cubevo Technology Private Limited, a call center in the city. According to the police, the call center’s head office is located in Delhi and named ‘Skyline InnovationsTechnologies India Private Limited’, which is registered with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Gurgaon.
According to the police, the gang developed 11 instant loan applications which offer loans to individuals to lure them into a debt trap with high interest, processing charges, GST, default charges and harsh penalties for delay in repaying the loan. The police also said that the gang would resort to systematic abuse, harassment and threatening of clients through call centers run by them. "They even blackmailed borrowers by sending fake legal notices to their relatives and family members," the police said.
As many as eight cases have been registered against six accused. The police began their probe after a complainant, who was allegedly harassed after borrowing Rs 1.2 lakh in loans from 28 instant loan apps, approached them.
Of the six accused, two are chinese nationals. Accused number one, Zixia Zhang, a Chinese national, and accused number two, Umapati alias Ajay of Delhi, are absconding. The remaining four accused have been arrested. They have been identified as Yi Bai alias Dennis, another Chinese national currently residing in Delhi, Satya Pal Khyalia hailing from Sikhar of Rajasthan and Aniriddh Malhotra, a resident of Hyderabad hailing from Rajasthan, along with Murathoti Richie Hemanth Seth, a resident of Hyderabad hailing from Kadapa of Andhra Pradesh.
According to the police, Zixia Zhang was the mastermind behind the entire operation along with Umapati alias Ajay, he started a company named ‘Digipeergo Tech Pvt Ltd’ and incorporated it with ‘Skyline Innovations Technologies India Private Limited’ with the help of Singapore-based sister company, Xikai Holding Pte Ltd, the police said.
The police said Zixia had developed instant loan applications and hosted them in Google Play Store besides establishing few more companies as call centers in various places in India and hired telecallers to collect repayments from the customers. Umapati operated the bank accounts related to all the companies, investigation officials said.
The police said that Yi Bai alias Dennis, who was also the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Xikai Holding Pte Ltd identified new locations and set up new call centers all over India with the help of others. Police said that he came to India in February this year. He was working as a Business Development Manager with Skyline.
The police have flagged as many as 11 instant loan apps namely: 1) Loan Gram 2) Cash Train 3) Cash Bus 4) AAA Cash 5) Super Cash 6) Mint Cash 7) Happy Cash 8) Loan Card 9) Repay One 10) Money Box and 11) Monkey box.
Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said that the apps prepared by these companies have also been involved in other cases registered in the state earlier this month, on allegations of harassment and deaths by suicides. Earlier this week, Cyberabad police arrested six persons pertaining to six cases and froze bank accounts of companies amounting to Rs 1.5 crore in funds.