New Delhi [India], December 13 : The Cyber Cell of Crime Branch, Delhi, has achieved a major breakthrough in a high-value digital arrest cyber fraud case by arresting three accused persons.
In this case, an 82-year-old senior citizen was digitally intimidated and coerced into transferring a total amount of Rs. 1,16,00,000 on the false pretext of legal action.
The accused impersonated law enforcement officials and showed a fake arrest order during a WhatsApp video call, placing the victim under severe psychological pressure.
A major portion of the cheated amount (Rs. 1.10 crore) was deposited into the account of an NGO located in Himachal Pradesh.
This account was being operated from Patna, Bihar.
A total of 32 complaints have been registered against this account on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), involving an amount of approximately Rs. 24 crores.
Multiple raids were conducted at various locations in Himachal Pradesh and Bihar, leading to the arrest of three accused persons in the case.
The accused impersonated law enforcement agencies and kept the victim under digital arrest. The victim was mentally intimidated and threatened with legal consequences.
The cheated money was routed through the NGO and personal bank accounts. Internet banking credentials and OTPs were misused to transfer and launder the funds. The proceeds of the crime were distributed among the co-accused as commission.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
Meanwhile, in a similar incident, a woman in Indore was defrauded of Rs 29.7 lakh after being deceived by fraudsters in a digital arrest scam, Additional DCP of the Crime Branch, Rajesh Dandotiya, said.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, Dandotiya said, "Fraudsters deceived a woman by claiming that money from a terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir had been laundered into her account. They cheated her out of Rs 29,70,000. The elderly woman had recently returned to India after visiting her children in the USA. A case of fraud has been registered, and an investigation is currently underway."