Palghar man loses ₹3.5 crore in digital arrest, scammers pose as CBI, Mumbai Police
The victim, a resident of Palghar district, was scammed between December 18 of last year and February 10.
Eight individuals have been arrested for allegedly deceiving a senior citizen from Maharashtra's Palghar of ₹3.5 crore after trapping him in a ‘digital arrest,’ according to an official statement on Wednesday.
Authorities have also frozen ₹22 lakh of the extorted funds, held in various bank accounts, news agency PTI reported.
A ‘digital arrest’ is a type of cybercrime in which fraudsters trick individuals into believing they have been detained by the police, assuming the identities of law enforcement officers to steal money.
Palghar Superintendent of Police (Rural) Balasaheb Patil explained that, the victim, a resident of Palghar district, was scammed between December 18 of last year and February 10.
The fraud began when a man, claiming to be a Mumbai police officer, contacted the victim and accused him of being involved in illegal advertising and harassment. Shortly after, another individual, posing as a CBI lawyer, joined the call, as per reports.
Also Read: Delhi Police busts gang behind 'digital arrest' fraud; four held
How victim was threatened
The victim was threatened with arrest and forced to send ₹3.5 crore to different bank accounts to avoid being charged, with the threat of "harm to his daughter."
Patil further explained that through intelligence and investigation, police managed to apprehend all eight members of the gang, including three siblings. Four suspects were arrested in Nagpur, three in Ankleshwar (Gujarat), and one in Bhantara, Aurangabad (Bihar). Seven of the suspects are currently in police custody until April 9, while the individual arrested in Bihar is scheduled to be presented in court on Wednesday.
Similar case
In another case from Punjab's Chandigarh, fraudsters pretending to be officials from TRAI and the Delhi crime branch tricked a 64-year-old woman from Sector 50-B, Harbeer Kaur, of ₹17.5 lakh.
The victim told the Cyber Crime Police Station in Sector 17 that she got a call from someone claiming to be Rahul Sharma from TRAI, with ID PB049. The caller, using the number 9580-828-483, said a second phone number was issued in her name and was being used for "illegal advertising and harassing messages."
A probe has been launched and to find the suspects. A case under Sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 336(3) (forgery for purpose of cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable security), 340(2) (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of BNS was registered at the Cyber police station.
