Rourkela: A boy from Odisha’s Rourkela has been arrested for allegedly duping an elderly cancer patient in Kolkata of Rs 49 lakh through digital arrest fraud, police said.
The elder brother of the 19-year-old, who is also stated to be involved in the crime, remains at large and a hunt is underway to trace and apprehend him.
As per sources, accused Chandra Prakash Tulsyan, and his brother, Shibam Tulsyan (25), contacted Mala Goswami (73), a retired govt employee, on February 14. They claimed a suspicious parcel containing her identification documents and foreign currency had been intercepted. They demanded Rs 49 lakh to prevent legal action, putting her in ‘digital arrest’.
Goswami, who stays alone and was undergoing treatment, was forced to transfer the amount via RTGS. The fraudsters then imposed a week-long ‘digital house arrest’, threatening her against leaving her residence until February 20.
The scam came to light when Goswami’s son, who lives in Bengaluru, became worried over his mother’s confined status and alerted neighbours. Following complaints filed with the National Cyber Crime Portal and New Alipore police in Kolkata, an investigation was launched on April 11.
A police team from New Alipore, collaborating with their Uditnagar counterparts, arrested Chandra Prakash, a BCom student, from Rourkela on May 3. “We provided necessary assistance to Kolkata Police team in apprehending the accused,” an official of Uditnagar police station said.
While the accused was granted bail the same day, the court has restricted his movements to the New Alipore police station area for two months and mandated daily evening reporting. Efforts are on to nab his brother. Police have frozen bank accounts of the brothers.
