The Mohali cyber police have busted two gangs involved in a ₹92-crore digital arrest scam spanning across several states in the country, with the arrest of six persons.
Five of the accused have been identified as Kanabar Yagnik, a Class 12 passout, who had worked for the GST department, Vitrag M Shah, who worked at an acting institute, Dhawal, presently lodged in Mumbai jail, and Nimesh, who was a relationship manager in RBL bank and presently lodged in Vadodara jail. All are residents of Gujarat. The identity of one of the accused has not been disclosed while police are on a hunt for two others who are on the run.
As per the police, the accused had defrauded Mohali residents of nearly ₹3 crore. Two of the cases were registered at the cyber crime police station in Phase 7. The police of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat were also on a lookout for them.
Modus operandi
The accused used to call up their victims, introduce themselves as senior police, CBI, or other law enforcement officials and tell them that their names had come up in criminal or money laundering cases. They were then engaged on long video calls on the pretext of a “digital arrest” during which they were barred from contacting their friends or family. To instill fear, the accused would convince people that their movements are being monitored. Eventually, they would convince the victims to transfer the money online through real-time gross settlement (RTGS).
During the probe, police found that the main number used to make the calls originated in Cambodia and eventually tracked the accused to the Regency Apartment in Ahmedabad while following the IP address. The kingpin is said to be based in Dubai.
{{/usCountry}}During the probe, police found that the main number used to make the calls originated in Cambodia and eventually tracked the accused to the Regency Apartment in Ahmedabad while following the IP address. The kingpin is said to be based in Dubai.
{{/usCountry}}Police have frozen or closed 310 bank accounts connected to the fraud.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans, meanwhile, advised residents to stay wary of anyone threatening them of a “digital arrest”. “There is nothing like a digital arrest. No arrest is digital. Citizens should remain alert and immediately report such calls to the police. Instead of falling into the trap, they must act responsibly,” the SSP said. He further directed banks to alert police officials when they notice unusually heavy transactions after a series of smaller ones, which helps in identifying suspicious activity.”