India’s 21st-century ‘Frank Abagnale Jr.’s story’ began with a phone. After completing Class 12, young Ajay from Karnataka stole a mobile belonging to a visiting relative. He was kicked out of the house when his father found out about it.
Ajay was homeless, angry, and living on odd jobs, and started petty thefts, wandering through the various hostels.
Meanwhile, he came across a team of experienced cyber fraudsters in Karnataka. They adopted him, and it was through them that Ajay learned the tricks of the trade.
Yet Ajay wasn’t content with being anyone’s subordinate. He wanted to operate on his own terms. After four years with the gang, he quit and enrolled in a one-year course in ethical hacking at a private institute in Bengaluru. With his newfound knowledge, Ajay became adept at breaching digital systems, masking his identity, and outwitting the police in 13 states over the next five years.
Was conman Ajay K really working alone?
According to sources in the Bidhannagar Commissionerate, which arrested him last Saturday from a guest house in Aluva, Kerala, Ajay defrauded victims of nearly ₹15 lakh in just the last nine months. Investigators suspect he may not have been working alone, though Ajay insists he ran his operations single-handedly. Officers are now investigating the gadgets and documents recovered from him to verify his claims.
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A senior Bidhannagar police officer told Ei Samay that they are also searching for the entire extent of his crimes, the number of individuals he cheated, his locations, and other possible people.
“He told us he did it to fund his lifestyle and hobbies,” the officer said.
