The cybercrime cell of the Ahmedabad police has arrested 17 individuals from different locations in the country in connection with a digital arrest fraud case. Among those arrested, 4 individuals are Taiwanese nationals who were apprehended from Delhi and Bangalore, with two from each city.
During the press conference, Sharad Singhal, SP Cyber Crime stated that a total of 450 complaints involving this gang have been identified so far, and more complaints might come to light in the future. These complaints are not just from Gujarat; several are from Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra. Such gangs are spread all across the nation, which is why we carried out raids at 8 separate locations where call centers were operating.
Two of the suspects have been nabbed from Delhi and two from Bangalore. They used to travel in and out of India; among them, one had graduated from Himachal Pradesh and stayed longer in India, while the others would come to set up fraud operations and then leave. Call centers were found operating in Vadodara, Mumbai, Bangalore, and other places.
In the cyber fraud case related to digital arrests, the perpetrators impersonate law enforcement officials, using tactics such as setting up fake police stations or government offices and wearing government uniforms. They then call the victims, claiming that their phone is being used to carry out criminal activities and that, to avoid complications, they need to pay a fee to verify that they are not involved in the case. Most of these cases involve senior citizens. They conduct video calls while wearing uniforms to scare the victims, who then pay hefty amounts into multiple accounts linked with these cybercriminals