Ahmedabad, May 13: The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has arrested two members of an inter-state cyber fraud gang involved in a ‘digital arrest’ scam, which defrauded an elderly woman of ₹55.50 lakhs. The accused intimidated the woman using fake identities and forged legal documents to extract money from her.
According to police, the case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC, 2023) and the Information Technology Act at the Cyber Crime Police Station.
The complainant was contacted via a WhatsApp video call, where the callers introduced themselves as ‘Ranveer Singh’ from the Colaba Police Station in Mumbai. They falsely claimed that the woman was implicated in a fraud case and that a warrant had been issued against her.
Subsequently, the accused misled her into believing she was under ‘digital arrest’ and would be presented in court for a month. To instill fear, they sent her fake FIRs, counterfeit letters from the Ministry of Finance, and documents purportedly from the Supreme Court.
Police reported that the accused obtained the woman’s bank details under the pretext of checking her assets and coerced her into transferring money and taking out a gold loan. A total of ₹55,50,094 was siphoned off through various online transactions.
An official from the Cyber Crime Branch stated that the accused created fake identities using the names of law enforcement agencies to intimidate the victim and extort money under mental pressure.
The investigation revealed that the scam was orchestrated through an organized network. The accused were identified as Sonu Kumar from Gurugram and Pradeep Kumar from the Kapashera area of Delhi.
Both suspects had met with an accomplice named Waseem Khan at a hotel in Delhi to plan the transaction of the scammed money, during which they executed transactions worth crores.
The investigation also uncovered multiple cyber complaints against bank accounts linked to this gang in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
Police warned the public that no police or investigative agency conducts arrests via video calls or requests OTPs, PINs, or online transactions. They advised against installing apps at the behest of unknown individuals.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
