Retired woman duped of Rs.91l in 'digital arrest' scam, 1 nabbed
Mumbai, March 23 -- A 63-year-old retired woman from Dahisar was allegedly duped of Rs.91 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as police officers, threatened her with arrest in a fake money-laundering case.
The North Region Cyber Cell has arrested Karan Suresh Kansaria, 49, on Saturday for allegedly aiding the fraud by providing bank accounts used to route the money. Police said part of the defrauded amount was traced to his account.
According to investigators, the victim was contacted on February 18 from a man claiming to be a police officer from Bengaluru, who claimed her bank account was linked to illegal transactions worth Rs.3 crore.
They conducted video calls, showed a staged "custody scene", and even invoked the name of encounter specialist Daya Nayak to make the threat appear credible.
Despite her denial, she was allegedly subjected to continuous questioning for nearly a week. She later received a call from another fraudster posing as Nayak, who warned her of immediate arrest if she failed to cooperate.
The victim was also instructed not to inform anyone and was told she was under surveillance, police said.
She was also allegedly made to disclose details of her savings, assets and family, and was sent forged documents bearing official-looking seals.
She was then allegedly instructed to liquidate her savings and fixed deposits and transfer the money to a "safe" account for investigation.
Fearing arrest, she transferred Rs.91 lakh, including Rs.85 lakh from prematurely broken FDs, into accounts provided by the fraudsters.
The fraud came to light on March 15 when her daughter visited and informed her that the police do not conduct such inquiries online, leading her to file a complaint.
Subsequently, the North Cyber Cell police registered a case under the relevant sections of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
A probe led by Inspector Sunil Lokhande traced part of the money to Kansaria's account. During questioning, he allegedly admitted to sharing his bank details with the gang and receiving a commission.
Police said efforts are underway to track other members of the racket....
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