Man held for ‘digital arrest’ scam

Man held for ‘digital arrest’ scam 

Sindhu.Kannan@timesofindia.com 30.10.2024

Chennai : Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned people against falling prey to scamsters who threaten people with ‘digital arrest,’ an Ambattur resident lost ₹1.05 crore to fraudsters who used the ‘digital arrest’ method. The account to which the money had been transferred in three instalments, however, belonged to a Velachery resident K Sathishkumar, who floated a fake firm, opened a savings bank account and then sold it to cyber fraudsters. 

The Avadi cybercrime police traced Sathishkumar and seized three cell phones, seven credit cards, and ₹8,000. According to a complaint from Rameshkumar of Ambattur, he received a video call from a man who claimed to be a CBI officer. He told Rameshkumar that his name had been linked to a pending money-laundering case wherein Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra was the main culprit. It may be noted that Kundra was accused of creating and distributing porn films through apps and was arrested in Sept 2021. He is currently out on bail. Giving these details, the fake CBI officer told Rameshkumar that he was under ‘digital arrest’ and that he had to transfer the cash deposit in him bank accounts to several other accounts belonging to the ‘CBI’. 

He said the money would be returned to him in two hours if the ‘law enforcement agencies’ found him innocent. Till the ‘verification’ is complete, he should not reveal his ‘digital arrest’ even to his family members, he was warned. Believing the words, Rameshkumar transferred a total of ₹1.05 crore in three instalments. As there was no more communication from the other side, Ramesh Kumar realised that he had been cheated. He then lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) and approached the Avadi cybercrime wing. A team headed by cybercrime inspector Praveen Kumar tracked the account that belonged to Sathishkumar of Velachery. 

Inquiries revealed that he floated a fake firm in his name, opened a 

savings account and sold it to the fraudsters. Only on Monday, Prime Minister Modi asked people to be vigilant against “digital arrests” and said investigative agencies never contact individuals over phone or video call for such matters. The Prime Minister also said probe agencies were working with the states to deal with the issue.