Digital arrest fraud: 3 held for posing as police officials, extorting Rs 37.70 lakh in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Three persons have been arrested for allegedly posing as officials from the Telecom and Police Departments and cheating a person of Rs 37.70 lakh using the threat of ‘Digital Arrest’.

The sleuths of Cyber Crime Police, Hyderabad, identified the accused as Mohammed Rijwan, Vikram Singh and Nikhil Kumar from Rajasthan.

Case details

On July 11, the police received a complaint that a group of scammers pretended to be officials from the telecom and police departments and made the victim transfer Rs 37,70,000 to their bank accounts.

Modus operandi

The police said that the accused devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain money under the digital arrest scam method.

The fraudsters contacted the victim through phone calls, impersonating officials of the telecom Department and police department, and falsely alleged that the victim was involved in illegal activities.

Under this pretext, they coerced the victim into transferring funds to their designated bank accounts, claiming that the money needed to be checked and verified to scrutinise all account transactions.

They further misled the victim by assuring that the amount would be returned after verification and clearance from the RBI. Through this deceptive operation, the fraudsters cheated the victim of a total amount of Rs 37,70,000.

The arrested accused were found to be working for the cyber scammers by accessing and facilitating the use of bank accounts on a commission basis.

Accused is involved in cases with a total fraud of over Rs 3 crore

The accused are found to be involved in six cases across India (Tamil Nadu - 2, Gujarat - 1, Rajasthan - 1 and Telangana - 2). The total fraudulent transactions of Rs 3 crore have been credited to their bank account.

Public advisory

To protect yourself from cybercrime and financial fraud:

- Refrain from receiving or attending calls from unknown numbers.

- Remain calm if you receive threatening video calls claiming to be from government agencies, such as CBI, RBI, ED, Customs, Judges, Cybercrime police, Narcotics, FedEx, BSNL, Telecom Dept, or TRAI and immediately report to the police.

- If a call raises suspicion, immediately end the call without engaging further. Report the incident to the nearest police station if you have concerns.

- Be aware that government agencies and law enforcement officials will not make Skype calls or demand money to resolve issues.

- Note that there is no such thing as ‘digital arrest’ or ‘online enquiry’ in the system.

- Be cautious of scammers using psychological tactics to manipulate emotions and decision-making. Never deposit money into unknown bank accounts based on false promises from unknown individuals.

If you are a victim of cybercrime fraud, immediately dial 1930 or visit https://cybercrime.gov.in/ for assistance.