Sangli man held for 'renting' bank account to cyber fraudsters in digital arrest scam

Mumbai, Oct 10 (PTI) Police have arrested a 28-year-old man whose bank account was used to transfer Rs 5 lakh, part of the amount swindled from a digital arrest scam victim in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The accused was identified by police as Vikas Sambhaji Chavan, a resident of Sangli district in western Maharashtra.

Cyber fraudsters duped a person of Rs 15 lakh in a digital arrest scam between April 14 and 16 this year while posing as Superintendent of Police (SP) and deputy SP (DySP) of the Delhi Police head office, an official said.

According to the official, the victim received a phone call from an unidentified number in which the caller, claiming to be speaking from the Delhi Police head office, said there were "discrepancies" in his bank account.

Two men then initiated a video call with the victim posing as Delhi Police SP Gopesh Kumar and DySP Bhupesh Kumar, and told him his name had cropped up in a money laundering case and also two criminal cases registered in Mumbai, he said.

Using a fake CBI letterhead, the fraudsters also told the victim a case has been registered against him in which he faces arrest. The duo asked the man to send Rs 15 lakh for carrying out 'verification process', according to the official.

Fearing arrest, the victim transferred Rs 15 lakh to two bank accounts provided by the fraudsters, he said.

Later, on realizing he has been cheated in the name of digital arrest, the man filed a complaint based on which a case was registered at the Central Cyber Police Station in Mumbai against unidentified persons.

During investigation, it came to light that a part of the duped amount, Rs 5 lakh, was transferred to an account in a public sector bank from where it was immediately withdrawn through cheque. The account belonged to accused Chavan, said the official.

Chavan's bank account had been previously used in such cases in Mumbai and Rajasthan also, he added.

The accused was produced before a local court, which sent him to police custody till October 13.

Digital arrest is a scam designed to extort money from victims using fear, deceit, and intimidation. In such scams, fraudsters typically pose as law enforcement officials, using threats of arrest against victims. PTI DC RSY