Daijiworld Media Network - Palghar
Palghar, Apr 9: In a shocking cybercrime incident, police have arrested eight individuals for duping a senior citizen from Maharashtra’s Palghar district of Rs 3.5 cr under the guise of a ‘digital arrest’. Authorities have also frozen Rs 22 lac of the scammed amount from various bank accounts, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
According to Palghar Superintendent of Police (Rural) Balasaheb Patil, the fraud occurred between December 18, 2023, and February 10, 2024. The accused posed as police and CBI officials to threaten and extort the elderly victim.
The scam began when the victim received a call from someone impersonating a Mumbai police officer who falsely accused him of being involved in illegal advertising and harassment. A second caller, pretending to be a CBI lawyer, joined in and further pressured the victim with threats of arrest and harm to his daughter if he failed to cooperate. Succumbing to fear, the victim transferred Rs 3.5 cr to different bank accounts as demanded by the fraudsters.
Through coordinated investigation and intelligence efforts, police arrested the eight accused, including three siblings. Four were nabbed from Nagpur, three from Ankleshwar in Gujarat, and one from Bhantara in Aurangabad district of Bihar. Seven are currently in police custody till April 9, while the suspect from Bihar will be produced in court on Wednesday.
In a separate but similar case from Chandigarh, Punjab, a 64-year-old woman named Harbeer Kaur from Sector 50-B fell prey to a digital arrest-style scam and lost Rs 17.5 lac.
The victim told police she received a call from a man identifying himself as Rahul Sharma from TRAI (ID PB049), using the number 9580-828-483. She was informed that a second SIM registered in her name was being used for ‘illegal advertising and harassment.’ The caller claimed to be associated with both TRAI and the Delhi crime branch.
A case has been registered at the Sector 17 Cyber Crime Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those pertaining to cheating, forgery, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy.
Police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and avoid sharing personal or financial information over phone calls, especially when threatened by impostors posing as authorities.