Kanpur Man Ankit Arrested in Fake Email Racket Linked to Pakistan
Lucknow, October 29: The UP ATS has arrested Ankit Shankhwar, a 24-year-old resident of Kanpur Nagar, in connection with a fake email ID racket that stretched across several countries. Officials say the network created email accounts, sold them to buyers outside India, and was tied to threats of bomb attacks in multiple cities.
According to the investigation, the suspect's fake email IDs were used to send bomb threats to schools and key institutions in Noida, Delhi-NCR, Gurugram and Mumbai. The threats also targeted a proposed Delhi-NCR show by singer Diljit Dosanjh and the house of a well-known Bollywood actor.
The ATS says the accused sold fake email accounts to buyers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries, accepting cryptocurrency as payment. A mobile phone and a laptop were recovered from him. The laptop alone contained about 5 lakh email IDs.
The agency believes the operation began in 2021. The suspect allegedly used Wi-Fi and proxy networks to mask his location and advertised the accounts through Facebook-linked social media groups. Probers have also found connections with people and groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkiye and Egypt.
Digital evidence from his mobile phone includes WhatsApp numbers from different countries and details of large USDT cryptocurrency transactions. The ATS said he provided fake email IDs to Bangladeshi national Alamin Islam for a payment of 6,000 USDT.
Investigators are now working to identify other people involved in the network. The email ID used to threaten schools in Noida, Delhi and Gurugram was found among the accounts stored on his devices. Another ID used in a bomb threat to the Mumbai Mayor's office on October 23, 2026 was also recovered.
The threatening emails referenced the Khalistan National Army and Babbar Khalsa. IDs linked to threats sent to Noida schools and other locations on October 12 were also identified during the probe. The laptop's Excel files included passwords, recovery emails and two-factor authentication details.
The ATS also found that payments were routed through a Binance crypto wallet, and WhatsApp communication and payment records with Alamin Islam have been collected as evidence.
A case has been registered at the Lucknow ATS police station under the relevant sections. The accused is to be produced in court, and police are seeking custody remand to reach other people behind the conspiracy.