After 352 complaints nationwide, 3 arrested in Karnataka for cyber fraud worth Rs 82 cr

Shivamogga (Karnataka), Feb 27 (PTI) Three persons have been arrested in connection with cyber fraud cases involving more than Rs 82 crore and 352 complaints registered nationwide, police said here on Friday.

The accused have been booked by the cybercrime police station under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS.

According to Karnataka Police, the prime accused, 43-year-old Jagadish C, allegedly lured a complainant, Wilson, with a promise of commission and persuaded him to open a bank account.

Jagadish later took control of the account and, by impersonating the complainant, fraudulently transferred large sums of money, police said.

Jagadish, a resident of Sharadamma Compound in Sharavathi Nagar, Shivamogga, runs an electronics business, police said.

The other two accused have been identified as Arshad (39), a fish trader from Shankarpura in Chikkamagaluru, and Ananth T (34), a marketing professional from Hosamane in Shivamogga.

Police said 15 bank accounts used for illegal fund transfers have been frozen.

More than Rs 14.71 crore was routed through these accounts linked to over 352 fraud complaints registered nationwide.

The total cheating amount stood at Rs 82 crore, police said.

Two mobile phones, 11 ATM cards, nine QR code scanners and 15 Airtel SIM cards have been seized from the accused.

The trio was produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody, police said, adding that efforts are on to trace other absconding suspects. PTI GMS ARI ARI