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Kolkata Police nabs mastermind of digital arrest scam in big crackdown: Report
The arrests include mastermind Chirag Kapoor, also known as Chintak Raj, a resident of JP Nagar in Bengaluru, who claimed to be a software engineer.
Police in West Bengal's Kolkata have arrested 11 people in connection with a nationwide crackdown on a digital arrest scam, claiming to have resolved over 930 complaints across the country, The Times of India reported on Thursday.
The arrests include mastermind Chirag Kapoor, also known as Chintak Raj, a resident of JP Nagar in Bengaluru, who claimed to be a software engineer. He had managed to evade arrest for seven months while running his crime syndicate.
"We arrested him in a raid at his residence around 4:30 am. The accused claimed that he was a software engineer. However, we need to ascertain his antecedents," the report quoted a Bengaluru-based investigating officer as saying.
Several electronic devices were seized from his possession and will be sent to forensic experts for further investigation.
The case that led to the arrests
According to Joint CP (Crime & Traffic) Rupesh Kumar, as quoted by The TOI, the case dates back to June 17 of last year, when the cyber crime police station registered a case under the IT Act and sections of fraud, cheating, and forgery under the IPC. This was based on the complaint of Debashree Dutta, also known as Debashi Dutta, who was duped and extorted for Rs. 47 lakh.
"She was put in fear that her documents and credentials were used in sending a parcel that contained contraband drugs, and also for money laundering. She was scared and, to clear off her involvement, she made payments to different accounts as instructed by the cyber crooks," said Kumar.
"It was a digital arrest scam where the cyber fraudsters literally wanted to keep the victim under their eyes every minute. Informing the victim that she was under digital house arrest and that her every movement had to be monitored by 'the concerned law enforcing agency,' the fraudsters asked her to keep her Zoom connection working 24 hours a day. Threatening that she was under ‘digital arrest'—and even threatening to arrest other family members and carry out raids on her residence—the accused managed to instill fear in the mind of the victim from the very beginning," he explained.
The police traced a money trail of Rs. 7,40,000, which the complainant had deposited into an account at Jana Small Finance Bank (A/C holder: Uma Burney, proprietor of Brain Burst Robotics) on June 12 of last year.
Following this, extensive raids were conducted on September 29 in Anandapur, Patuli, and Narendrapur areas, leading to the arrest of eight individuals.
A makeshift office, involved in dealing with fake accounts, was uncovered, and authorities seized various items, including 104 passbooks/chequebooks, 61 mobile phones, 33 debit cards, two QR code machines, 140 SIM cards, 40 seals, and 10 lease agreements, The TOI report added.
Police discovered that the office was monitored through CCTV and used to collect, alter, and sell fake accounts and credentials to fraudsters across India.
Chirag Kapoor, referred to as the CEO of the operation, was identified as the mastermind. He ran the syndicate through agents, avoiding detection and surveillance.
An associate of Kapoor, involved in selling the fake accounts, was arrested in Delhi on October 26. However, Kapoor remained at large until his arrest on Thursday.
Police recovered items from Kapoor, including routers, hard disks, a laptop, mobile phones, SIM cards, PAN cards, chequebooks, a USB, and rubber stamps bearing the names of different companies.
The arrested individuals will be presented before the jurisdictional court, and Kapoor’s transit custody has been requested.
What is digital arrest?
Digital arrest is a fraudulent method employed by cybercriminals, who falsely assert they have the authority to arrest an individual through digital channels, typically by phone or online communication.
In these scams, victims often receive calls claiming they are implicated in illegal activities. The fraudsters impersonate law enforcement or regulatory authorities and use threats or coercion to pressure the victims into transferring money or disclosing personal details. This tactic exploits fear and confusion, leveraging the victim's panic to enable financial fraud.
