Digital arrest scam: Criminal posing as Justice Chandrachud cheats Mumbai woman of Rs 3.71 crore; Gujarat man arrested

A man from Gujarat has been arrested for allegedly receiving a significant portion of Rs 3.71 crore siphoned off from a 68-year-old Mumbai woman in a digital arrest scam, police said on Monday, stated a PTI report. Investigators found that part of the defrauded money was routed through a mule bank account linked to the accused.

The victim, a resident of Andheri West, was targeted between August 18 and October 13 after cyber fraudsters posed as officials from Colaba police station and central agencies and even a judge. They falsely claimed her bank account was involved in money laundering and kept her under constant surveillance, warning her not to disclose the matter to anyone.

According to police, the fraudsters escalated the deception by arranging a fake online court hearing in which one person identified himself as Justice Chandrachud. The woman was asked to submit her investment details for verification, following which she transferred around Rs 3.75 crore into multiple bank accounts over two months. When the calls abruptly stopped, she realised she had been cheated and approached the West Region Cyber Police Station.

Probe and arrests

A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The investigation revealed that the money had been moved through several mule accounts, one of which was traced to Surat in Gujarat. A cyber police team arrested a man from Surat last week who had opened a current account using a fake cloth trading company and allowed cyber fraudsters to park funds in it. Police said Rs 1.71 crore had passed through his account, for which he allegedly received a commission of Rs 6.40 lakh.

During questioning, the accused disclosed details of two alleged masterminds of the racket who are currently abroad, including one who runs an immigration and visa services business. Efforts are ongoing to trace and arrest other members of the network.

Digital arrest scams involve fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officers, court officials or government personnel to intimidate victims through audio and video calls and coerce them into transferring money. On December 1, the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a unified pan-India probe into such cases and asked all states to grant consent under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act for investigations within their jurisdictions.

(With inputs from PTI)