Lucknow: Cyber crooks posing as CBI officers held in ₹47 lakh digital arrest scam
According to Lucknow Police, the accused, Ranjit Kumar Behera, 27 of Baleshwar district and Jayant Kumar Sahu, 33, of Keonjhar, were arrested on July 4 from Keonjhar and brought to Lucknow for investigation.
A joint operation by Lucknow’s cyber crime police station and cyber cell led to the arrest of two cyber fraudsters from Odisha who allegedly posed as CBI officials and duped a man of ₹47 lakh by convincing him that he was under digital house arrest, police said on Sunday.
According to Lucknow Police, the accused, Ranjit Kumar Behera, 27 of Baleshwar district and Jayant Kumar Sahu, 33, of Keonjhar, were arrested on July 4 from Keonjhar and brought to Lucknow for investigation.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) crime Kamlesh Dixit said the accused tricked the victim, identified as Rakvendra Verma, through fake WhatsApp video calls showing forged arrest warrants and seizure notices. “They told the victim that his Aadhaar and mobile number were used in criminal activities and a case was registered against him at Andheri East police station in Mumbai,” Dixit said.
Using threats of legal action, they convinced him to isolate himself, avoid speaking to anyone, and transfer nearly all of his savings into what they called a ‘safe account’.
Under pressure, Verma ended up transferring ₹47 lakh to the fraudsters. The entire operation was executed digitally, with the accused maintaining the illusion of being senior officials from central investigative agencies, police revealed.
Cyber crime police station SHO Brijesh Yadav said a case was registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), IT Act, and Aadhaar Act. “The accused used corporate credit cards in others’ names and linked them with mobile numbers to carry out transactions. The money was then routed into cryptocurrency (USDT) and divided among themselves.”
Police recovered ₹1.27 lakh in cash, three mobile phones used in the fraud, and multiple ID cards during the arrest. The accused also admitted to creating fake identities and laundering money through crypto wallets.
