Punjab Police’s State Cybercrime Division has uncovered a Minimum Support Price (MSP) payment fraud with the arrest of four individuals accused of manipulating the Anaaj Kharid Portal to divert crop payments from farmers to their own bank accounts.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Manish, Jasvir Singh, Angrej Singh, and Balwinder Singh. Police recovered digital devices and routers allegedly used in the fraud.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Cybercrime Division V Neeraja stated that the accused employed an innovative modus operandi to divert crop payments. They replaced farmers’ registered mobile numbers with their own to update bank account details and rerouted the payments. To avoid detection, the original details were restored immediately after the transactions were processed.
A state-wide operation is underway to apprehend other individuals involved in the scam.
According to a complaint filed by the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Punjab, several farmers reported not receiving payments for crops sold during the 2024 paddy season. An investigation revealed that payments intended for these farmers had been credited to various bank accounts belonging to unrelated persons.
Preliminary enquiries, including scrutiny of IP records and other data, confirmed unauthorised access to the Anaaj Kharid Portal. The investigation further revealed that a mobile number and device purchased in Mohali using a fake identity were used to obtain OTPs required for altering bank details on the portal. The accused allegedly operated from remote areas of Sri Muktsar Sahib and had installed an internet connection for unauthorised portal access.
ADGP V Neeraja added that three teams from the Cybercrime Division, led by Inspectors Jujhar Singh, Deepak Bhatia, and Sub-Inspector Ranjit, used OSINT techniques to track and arrest the suspects from districts Moga and Sri Muktsar Sahib.
Further questioning of the accused is ongoing to identify other accomplices. Investigators are also probing the possible involvement of officials from the Mandi Board, Food Supply Department, or commission agents who may have shared sensitive information or exploited technical glitches in the Anaaj Kharid Portal. Raids are being conducted to apprehend remaining suspects.
A case has been registered under sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) (forgery), 336(3) (making false electronic records), 338 (forgery of valuable security), 340(2) (using forged documents as genuine), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, at the State Cyber Crime Police Station, Phase-4, Mohali.
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