The Cyber Crime Branch police arrested four individuals for abetting a Cambodia-based fraudsters in scamming a senior citizen out of Rs 1.26 crore by impersonating a CBI officer and the Chief Justice of India. The main accused subjected the victim to a so-called digital arrest, forcing him to transfer the money to the accounts of these arrested individuals.
The arrested suspects are Mohammad Hussain Javid, Tarunsinh Vaghela, Brijesh Parekh, and Shubham Thakar, all hailing from the city.
Earlier this month, a fraudster posing as a CBI officer contacted the senior citizen, claiming his bank account was involved in money laundering and threatening him with a five-year jail term. The victim was told he could avoid arrest by cooperating with an online investigation that would be carried out by the Supreme Court. Another scammer, posing as the Chief Justice of India, convinced the victim to transfer Rs 1.26 crore to verify that it wasn’t from criminal activity.
After realizing the scam, the victim reported it to the cyber crime branch, which filed the FIR in the matter on October 7. The fraudsters, operating from Cambodia, funneled the money into dummy accounts, with three of the arrested suspects receiving Rs 10 lakh each, which was later converted into cryptocurrency. Two suspects remain at large.
‘Digital arrest’ is a form of cybercrime where victims are tricked into believing they are under investigation for offenses like money laundering or drug smuggling. The fraudsters keep victims under constant surveillance through video calls, coercing them into transferring large sums of money.