Srinagar man loses ₹21L in ‘digital arrest’ fraud, three held
Kashmir Zone’s Srinagar cyber police station took cognizance of the case upon receiving a written complaint from a senior citizen of Srinagar, who was allegedly defrauded of ₹21 lakh in the digital arrest fraud
Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday cracked a digital arrest fraud by arresting three accused from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, who duped an elderly citizen to the tune of ₹21 lakh.
Kashmir Zone’s Srinagar cyber police station took cognizance of the case upon receiving a written complaint from a senior citizen of Srinagar, who was allegedly defrauded of ₹21 lakh in the digital arrest fraud.
A police spokesperson said the fraudsters impersonated officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to coerce the victim into transferring funds.
“The scammers accused the victim of being involved in money laundering involving ₹6.8 crore and issued fabricated arrest warrants and penalties to intimidate him. Through psychological manipulation, they declared the conversations a ‘national secret’, instructed the victim to lock his house, avoid communication with others, and falsely assured him of a refund within hours. Under this pressure, the victim prematurely closed his fixed deposits and transferred ₹21 lakh into their account,” the spokesperson said.
Upon receiving the complaint, a case was registered.
“Police identified the culprits and dispatched teams to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab. The operation led to the arrests of Gaurav Kumar of Shamli, UP, Gurpreet Singh and Ujjawal Chauhan, both from Patiala, Punjab,” the police official said.
During the raids, the police seized four mobile phones, a MacBook, 13 SIM cards, 24 debit cards, 20 cheque books, 10 passbooks, and other incriminating materials.
Notably, ₹4.13 lakh has been released into the account of the complainant.
The accused persons face multiple charges, including fraud, conspiracy, and coercion. Further investigation is ongoing to uncover other conspirators and dismantle the larger network behind this scam.
Cyber Police Kashmir Zone advised citizens to exercise extreme caution when sharing sensitive financial information.
“Legitimate government agencies will never conduct investigations or arrests via video calls, demand payments, or request sensitive data over the phone. Always verify the identity of callers claiming to represent official authorities and report suspicious activities,” the police spokesperson said.