Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)
Udupi, Aug 25: In a swift operation, the Udupi District Police have arrested two individuals involved in an online trading scam, recovering a total of Rs 13,95,000 in cash. The arrests were made following a complaint lodged by Arun Kumar Govind Karnavar.
On July 29, an unidentified individual called the victim from the mobile number +919232037584, claiming to be from Customs. The caller informed the victim that a FedEx courier, booked using his Aadhaar number, contained five passports, five ATM cards, 200 grams of MDMA, and USD 5000, and was currently held at Mumbai Customs. When the victim denied any involvement, the caller connected him to a superior officer via a hotline, who introduced himself as a police officer.
The so-called officer informed the victim that his Aadhaar card had been linked to multiple bank accounts and was allegedly being used by terrorists to purchase SIM cards. He further warned the victim of a "virtual arrest" and instructed him to stay in a room in his house without contacting anyone from July 29 to August 9. The victim was then coerced into transferring a total of Rs 1,33,81,000 in installments from his HDFC Bank savings account to various bank accounts as instructed by the scammers.
Upon receiving the complaint, a case was registered at Udupi CEN Police station . The police, led by Inspector Ramachandra Nayak, formed a special team comprising PSI Ashok and other officers including Praveen Shettigar, Rajesh, Arun Kumar, Yatheenkumar, Raghavendra Karkada, Dixit, Prashanth, Mutteppa Adeen, Mayappa Gadade, Parashuram, and Sudeep.
The operation resulted in the arrest of the accused: Navadia Mukeshbhai alias Ganeshbhai, (44), resident of Sardar Patel Nagar Society, Dabholi Road, Surat city, Gujarat, and Dharamjeet Kamlesh Chauhan, (28), resident of University Road, Rajkot district, Gujarat. The police seized five mobile phones and Rs13,95,000 in cash from the accused.
The investigation is ongoing, with the police continuing to probe deeper into the scam.