Ahmedabad man held for supplying mule accounts in ₹76 lakh ‘digital arrest’ scam

According to the police, the complainant, Yogesh Bhoja Shriyan, received a phone call on January 27 from a man who introduced himself as Ajay Patil from the Rajendranagar police station in Bengaluru. The caller told Shriyan that a criminal case had been registered against him and asked him to appear at the police station for questioning

MUMBAI: Amid rising cases of “digital arrest” scams targeting senior citizens, the North Region Cyber Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Gujarat for allegedly supplying mule bank accounts to a cyber fraud racket that duped a 74-year-old Dahisar resident of ₹76 lakh.

Ahmedabad man held for supplying mule accounts in ₹76 lakh ‘digital arrest’ scam

The accused, identified as Jugal Kashyapbhai Manek, a resident of Ahmedabad, was arrested recently after investigators found that a portion of the defrauded money had been routed through his bank account. Following his arrest, a Borivali magistrate court remanded him in police custody.

According to the police, the complainant, Yogesh Bhoja Shriyan, received a phone call on January 27 from a man who introduced himself as Ajay Patil from the Rajendranagar police station in Bengaluru. The caller told Shriyan that a criminal case had been registered against him and asked him to appear at the police station for questioning.

When the elderly man said he could not travel due to his age, the caller began interrogating him over the phone before transferring the call to a woman who claimed to be a CBI officer named Navjot Simmi.

The woman alleged that a complaint had been filed against him by a woman who claimed that abusive messages were being sent to her daughter from Shriyan’s phone number. She warned him that he was facing imminent arrest and sent him documents bearing the seals of the Income Tax Department and the Reserve Bank of India, claiming they were part of an ongoing investigation.

The frauds also warned him not to speak to anyone about the matter, threatening that any disclosure could lead to seven years in prison and a fine of ₹58.86 lakh.

Terrified of arrest and prolonged interrogation, Shriyan was persuaded to share his bank details and transfer money for what the callers described as “verification” and “investigation”. Over multiple transactions, he transferred ₹76 lakh to several bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

However, after the transfers were completed, the callers stopped contacting him and the promised “verification” never took place. Realising he had been duped, Shriyan approached the North Region Cyber Police, who registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.

During the probe, investigators tracked the money trail and found that a portion of the funds had been credited to Manek’s bank account. A team led by police inspector Kiran Aher subsequently travelled to Ahmedabad and arrested him.

Police said Manek had allegedly opened and operated bank accounts that were used by the cyber fraud syndicate to receive and route the cheated money. After receiving the funds, he allegedly transferred the amount further to other members of the racket and received a 10% commission for facilitating the transactions.

“We have arrested the accused who provided the mule account. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the cyber fraudsters who impersonated as police and CBI officials,” a police officer said.