Bhubaneswar: After a five-month-long investigation, Jharsuguda police in Odisha busted an inter-state cybercrime racket and nabbed four of its members from Gujarat for allegedly siphoning off Rs 34 lakh from an elderly couple through digital arrest fraud.
The incident took place in May this year.
The accused have been identified as Shahrukh Umar Khatik (27), Sharad Sukalal Mali @ Ajay (25), Rahil Seikh (24) and Malek Shahrukh Hanif Isha (26), from Surat in Gujarat.
In May, Jagdish Karabhai Bhardwaj filed a complaint with Jharsuguda Sadar police, alleging that the accused persons, posing as senior crime branch officers, threatened them with money laundering charges and siphoned off Rs 34 lakh from his bank account in two transactions after holding him under digital arrest.
“The gang threatened the couple saying that their bank accounts were flagged for money laundering and sought all property details over a period of some days. The victims were then told that they have been placed under ‘digital arrest; and to save themselves, they have to comply with them. They then offered a settlement and took the money in two instalments of Rs 20 lakh and Rs 14 lakh,” Jharsuguda SP Smit P Parmar told the media.
The accused used Skype calls to contact the victims. As soon as money was credited to their bank accounts, they immediately transferred it in small chunks to hundreds of accounts, the SP said, adding that Rs 33 lakh of those have been recovered.
While Rs 17 lakh in fraudulent transactions have been frozen, Rs 14 lakh returned to the complainant’s account, he added.
The accused were traced to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra after an extensive analysis of digital evidence and in-depth financial investigation and subsequently nabbed following raids in the states. Twenty cell phones, three laptops, as many personal computers and Rs 2 lakh in cash were seized from their possession.
A case has been registered under Section 419, 420 of the IPC along with Section 66-D of the IT Act.
IG (northern range) Himanshu Kumar Lal emphasized that “digital arrest” is a fraudulent concept used by cybercriminals worldwide. “We urge the public, especially elderly citizens, to remain vigilant and report such threats immediately to the police,” he said.
What is digital arrest?
Digital arrest is a deceptive tactic employed by cybercriminal, who posing as law enforcement officials claim to have the authority to arrest an individual through digital means often over the phone or via online communication by making them believe that they have committed a serious crime and coerce victims into transferring money using threats or intimidation while asking them to stay visible online until their demands are met.
