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Two Bengaluru men arrested for defrauding Hyderabad resident of ₹10.61 crore in ‘digital arrest’ scam: Report
Telangana Cyber Security Bureau arrests two in Bengaluru for ₹10.61 crore digital fraud involving a Hyderabad resident.
In a significant breakthrough, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has apprehended two men in Bengaluru for their alleged involvement in a high-stakes digital fraud that swindled a Hyderabad resident of over ₹10.61 crore. The accused, identified as Vinay Kumar S Khadke (23) and Maruthi GH (28), were detained in the city and are now being shifted to Hyderabad for further questioning and investigation, The New Indian Express reported.
The duo, reportedly linked to a current bank account under the name of Tinkan Technologies Pvt Ltd, are accused of facilitating the fraudulent transactions. According to police sources, the victim was tricked into transferring ₹4.62 crore into the account, which was set up by the suspects on the instructions of a third-party mastermind. Authorities are now working to uncover the broader network of individuals behind this elaborate scam, the report noted.
The scam began when the victim, a resident of Hyderabad, was contacted by individuals posing as Mumbai police officials. The fraudsters claimed that an account had been opened in his name using his personal details, such as his Aadhaar and PAN card, and was allegedly tied to money laundering activities.
To add legitimacy to their claims, they even forged official letters from the Directorate of Enforcement and the Income Tax Department, demanding sensitive financial information, including property details, salary, and investments, the publication said.
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As the scam unfolded, the victim was intimidated with threats of jail time if he did not comply with the investigation. The fraudsters also pressured him into attending video calls and kept him on “digital arrest”, coercing him into transferring a sum of ₹10.61 crore to their bank accounts.
A highly-placed TGCSB official spoke to the publication about the incident and said no genuine police investigation would ever occur solely via phone or online channels.
