The cyber crime cell of Chandigarh Police has arrested a Bihar native, who is part of a Saudi Arabia-based gang, for duping an octogenarian couple of ₹75 lakh after claiming that their relative in Canada had landed in legal trouble.
The accused, Adarsh Singh, hails from Motihari in Bihar’s East Champaran district, said police.
He was arrested on the complaint of Jagdish Kaur and her 88-year-old husband, Bhag Singh, who live in Sector 46. They had reported that they received a phone call from an unknown US-based phone number on December 12, 2023.
The caller claimed that their relative, who lives in a foreign country, had been jailed. When she revealed that it may be her Canada-based maternal nephew Pamma, she was asked to pay money to get him discharged from jail.
The same caller kept calling them continuously for three days, making them transfer ₹75 lakh to different bank accounts. The elderly couple eventually realised that they had been duped after which they complained to police.
On the couple’s complaint, a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the cyber crime police station.
{{/usCountry}}On the couple’s complaint, a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the cyber crime police station.
{{/usCountry}}Following probe, police traced the accused to Bihar and arrested him. Police said Adarsh was part of a gang that operated from Saudi Arabia. Adarsh provided and managed all fraud and mule accounts for the gang, said police, adding that the cheated amount was transferred to these accounts in Arab countries with the help of crypto currency.