Hyderabad: In two separate cases, the Cyberabad cyber crimes police busted two ‘digital arrest’ scam rackets, operating from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, for scamming two individuals off of Rs 1.38 crore and 28.68 lakh respectively.
In one case, cyber fraudsters posing as State Bank of India (SBI) officials and Mumbai Cyber Crime officers, defrauded an 82-year-old retired engineer off Rs 1,38,60,000, after manipulating the victim over a fake money laundering case lodged against him.
The victim, under pressure, transferred the amount to various accounts the scammers provided. Upon receiving the complaint from the octogenarian, the police started the investigation, which led to the arrest of Sankar Ganesh, 46, (arrested from Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu), who provided the bank account to the scammers at a 10 percent commission, and Elanchezhiyan Sathiyavel, 45, (arrested from Namakkal, Tamil Nadu), who collected the account details from the arrested Sankar Ganesh and provided it to the main scamsters.
The scamsters who were posing as the SBI and police officials have been identified as Jesmin Mondal, Sachin, Muthukumar and Saleem, who remain at large. Police efforts to arrest them are underway.
Hyderabad police facilitate refund of Rs 62.46L lost to cyber fraud
5 Malayali men arrested in ‘digital arrest’ scam
In another case, the Cyberabad cyber crimes police arrested five men from Kerala, for defrauding a 66-year-old retired government employee woman, by manipulating her through the ‘digital arrest’ scam.
According to the police, the accused men called and threatened the victim by telling her that her AADHAAR card had been used to make an SBI account, which had been involved in a money laundering case, making her a suspect. The fraudsters also showed her a fake bank passbook which had transactions of over Rs 3 crore.
The fraudsters convinced her that she could face 3 to 7 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh unless she cooperated with their demands. In deep fear of incarceration and humiliation, the victim transferred Rs 28,68,504.67 to the bank accounts they provided.
Following the victim’s complaint, a cyber crimes police investigation revealed a complex web of several accused men, who were located in Kerala.
On February 17 and 19, the Cyberabad police made arrests in Meppadi of Wayanad and Kondotti in Malappuram respectively.
The arrested have been identified as Hamza, 44, Mustafa, 50, Hensily Joseph, 45, V P Manikandan, 56, and Ashif Ali Peringadakkad, 34. The main conspirator of the scam, identified as Babu, is currently absconding, and the police are on a manhunt to arrest him.
According to the police, Hamza, a bike mechanic, was responsible for supplying over 30 mule bank accounts to Babu, through which a sum of over Rs 2 crore has been withdrawn collectively.
The police seized 4 mobile phones, 5 bank passbooks, 3 chequebooks, and 7 debit cards during the arrests.
Two arrested for Rs 3 crore digital arrest scam in Hyderabad
Cyberabad police urge citizens to be vigilant
The Cyberabad cyber crimes police urged the citizens to remain vigilant against cyber criminals posing as officials, aiming to defraud money from individuals.
“Be sceptical of urgent demands for money or personal information such as Aadhaar numbers, bank account numbers, or OTPs,” the police reminded.
“Always verify the source of the communication and confirm the information with the concerned authorities or institutions,” Cyberabad cyber crimes police added.
Citizens can report any instances of cyber crimes, including ‘digital arrest’ scams at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or by dialling the toll-free number 1930.
