Nagpur: Two retired employees lose Rs 1.7 crore in 'digital arrest' scam
Fraudsters posing as NIA and ATS officers used fake arrest warrants and hours-long video calls to cheat two retired Nagpur employees of Rs 1.7 crore.
Nagpur has seen another case of cyber fraud carried out in the name of 'digital arrest'. This time the fraudsters targeted two retired employees, a retired railway guard and a former assistant registrar of Nagpur University, who together lost a total of Rs 1.7 crore.
In both cases, the fraudsters posed as officers of the NIA, ATS and other investigating agencies and threatened the victims with arrest by implicating them in a serious crime. The victims were kept on video calls throughout, meaning they were monitored at all times while being made to transfer money from their bank accounts.
Cyber police have registered cases under fraud and different sections of the IT Act in both matters and begun an investigation.
The first case is from Dharampeth, where fraudsters extorted Rs 87.50 lakh from an 83-year-old retired railway guard by threatening to implicate him in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi bomb blast. On September 1, he received a video call on WhatsApp from callers who identified themselves as NIA and ATS officers Premkumar Gautam and Rahul Kumar from Lucknow.
The fraudsters told the elderly man that money laundering transactions worth Rs 2.50 crore had taken place through an ICICI Bank ATM card issued in his name, of which he had received Rs 25 lakh as commission. He was then kept on continuous WhatsApp video calls by instilling fear of arrest and was not allowed to step out of his house. The fraudsters also showed him a fake property seizure order and arrest warrant made in the name of the Supreme Court.
Frightened, the elderly man transferred Rs 87.50 lakh via RTGS from different bank accounts to accounts specified by the fraudsters. The accused had duped him into believing that the amount would remain deposited with the RBI until the investigation was complete. The elderly couple later grew suspicious and filed a complaint with the cyber helpline 1930.
The second case is also from Nagpur district, in which a 70-year-old retired assistant registrar of Nagpur University fell victim to fraud. On September 19, he received a WhatsApp message and video call from an unknown number. The fraudsters told him that a serious criminal case had been registered against him in Mumbai and that he had links to terrorist activities.
He was then told to stay in a room by instilling fear of an arrest warrant being issued, and was kept under watch through continuous video calls. The fraudsters put him under mental pressure by threatening strict punishment if he did not cooperate with the NIA investigation. During this time, the accused obtained his bank account details and, on September 23, transferred Rs 20.10 lakh out of his Bank of Maharashtra account. When the accused suddenly stopped contact, he grew suspicious and complained to the police.
