Nagpur man loses Rs 1.04 crore in 'digital arrest' scam using police commissioner's photo; two held

A fraud of Rs 1.04 crore in the name of "digital arrest", carried out by misusing the photograph of Nagpur Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil, has come to light in the city, causing alarm. According to police, two fraudsters had the money transferred from one person.

Praviarkumar Talukdar, a resident of the Deendayal area of Nagpur, was kept under "digital" arrest over a video call. Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil's photograph was used on the call. Talukdar was then intimidated in the name of Pradeep Jaiswal of the NIA and forced to send Rs 1.04 crore by RTGS.

As soon as the matter surfaced, police swung into action. The cyber cell of the Crime Branch acted immediately and arrested both accused from Uttar Pradesh. They have been named as Dinesh Avabhai Ravaria and Arvind Kanji Gala.

Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil has a large following on social media. He is also a senior police officer, so his name carries fear even in the world of crime. The two are alleged to have exploited this by imitating his photograph and voice and setting the "digital arrest" trap.

Meanwhile, the discovery of 102 cartridges under a roadside bridge in Bharsingi village of Nagpur district has also caused a stir. Of the rounds seized by police, 52 are live and the remaining 50 are empty casings. All 102 were made at different ordnance factories in the country, some at the Varangaon and Khadki ordnance factories in Maharashtra and others at the Khamaria ordnance factory in Madhya Pradesh.

Police are now investigating how rounds made at different factories at different times reached Bharsingi village and who brought them. Getting to the bottom of the matter will be a challenge for the police.

Separately, police deployment has been increased in Nagpur's bullion market after threats made in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi. Bullion traders had demanded more security at a recent meeting with police, and the step was taken as a precaution. Eight bullion traders in the Itwari area had received threatening letters in Bishnoi's name. Police investigation has found that the letters were posted from the Khamla area of Nagpur.

Earlier, on September 15, a trader within the limits of Rana Pratap Nagar police station had also received a threat letter. Then, in letters received by post on October 31, each of these bullion traders was asked to send Rs 10 lakh, failing which they were threatened with a fatal attack like the one on Tiger Shroff. A case has now been registered at Tehsil police station. Police have assured the traders that the accused will be arrested soon. For this reason, police presence has been increased in the Itwari bullion market.