Digital arrest: Gujarat police arrests MBA student from Mumbai posing as fake police officer

Ahmedabad: A Mumbai man, who worked as a caller for a Cambodia-based international gang accused of extorting Rs 4 crore from an Ahmedabad resident through 'digital arrest', has been arrested after his return from the Southeast Asian nation, said the Gujarat police on Thursday. This is for the first time that the Gujarat CID Crime has nabbed a caller linked to a 'digital arrest' scam in the state, said an official of the CID's State Cyber Crime Cell.

It was revealed the accused, Chetan Kokare (26), went to Cambodia a few months ago and joined a gang run by Chinese and Cambodian nationals which hires people from India, Pakistan and Nepal to pose as officials of the ED, CBI, police or Customs to extort money from unsuspecting individuals in the name of digital arrest, he said.

It appears Kokare, who claimed to be pursuing MBA in Mumbai, went to Cambodia to make quick money, but ended up joining a gang of cyber criminals.

Chetan nabbed from Colaba

Based on a specific-tip off that Kokare has returned to India and currently living in Mumbai, the Gujarat CID Crime, with the help of Mumbai police, nabbed him from the Colaba area and brought him here on Thursday, said Superintendent of Police (CID Crime) Dharmendra Sharma.

"Nearly three months ago, a working professional (based in Ahmedabad) received a call from a person who claimed to be an executive of a courier firm. He told the victim a parcel booked in the latter's name had been seized by police because it contained drugs and passports. The caller told the victim to talk to the Mumbai cyber crime," said Sharma.

The caller then asked the Ahmedabad resident to talk to Mumbai cyber crime officials to get a police clearance certificate. When the victim agreed, the caller connected the video call to another person, who identified himself as the DCP of Mumbai crime branch Milind Baramde, said Sharma.

"The fake DCP, wearing a police uniform, threatened to implicate the victim in a false case. The victim was kept under 'digital arrest' by the accused for 10 days and forced to transfer Rs 4 crore into their bank accounts to settle the matter. On realising he was cheated, the victim recently contacted us," said the SP.

Based on technical inputs and surveillance, the CID identified the caller, who posed as a courier firm executive, as Mumbai resident Kokare and nabbed him. During preliminary questioning, the accused claimed he is pursuing MBA and went to Cambodia to earn money. He then joined an international criminal gang run by Chinese and Cambodian nationals nearly five months ago, said Sharma.

"He claimed he was paid Rs 10 lakh in five months by the gang. A video in his mobile phone revealed nearly 50 persons are running this racket from a building in Cambodia. Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalese are hired by the gang to pose as police as well as other government officials," said the SP.

Digital arrest

In digital arrest scams, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials on video calls to dupe their victims. They threaten unsuspecting individuals with arrest over fake charges, and pressure them to transfer large sums of money to avoid further legal action.