The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a man from Jaipur in a case of "digital arrest," where a Dehradun resident was reportedly scammed of Rs 2.27 crore, police said on Monday.
The main accused, a 19-year-old, was arrested in Jaipur on Saturday, according to STF Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh.
Police said the suspect, Neeraj Bhatt, was part of a cybercriminal gang. He pretended to be an officer from the Cyber Crime Department of Mumbai Police.
The victim, from Niranjanpur in Dehradun, filed a complaint about the scam a few days ago. He said that on September 9, he received a WhatsApp video call from someone in a police uniform. The caller told him that an arrest warrant had been issued for him in a money laundering case, claiming his bank account was involved in laundering money.
The caller warned him not to share this information with anyone, or he would face jail time and a fine. When the victim asked for help to clear his name, the fraudster told him to speak with higher officials and stay home during the investigation.
Also Read: Uttarakhand cabinet approves UCC rules ahead of rollout
The caller also told the victim to transfer money to clear his name, promising it would be returned in a day or two. He also claimed that the victim's accounts were being closely monitored.
From September 11 to December 17, the victim continued transferring money as requested. However, he realised he was being scammed when the money was not returned as promised and he was asked to send more. By that time, he had lost more than Rs 2.25 crore.
The SSP said police worked with banks and service providers to track down the accounts and phone numbers used in the scam. Using digital evidence and data analysis, they identified the main suspect involved in the case.
Also Read: U’khand’s first madrasa to offer Sanskrit as optional subject
Follow us
