Mumbai: 21-Year-Old Arrested in Rs 5.88 Crore Cyber Fraud Targeting Woman with Fake Human Trafficking Case

The South Region Cyber Police have arrested a 21-year-old youth in connection with a cyber fraud of Rs 5.88 crore, carried out under the pretext of involving the woman in a human trafficking case. The accused had facilitated the fraudsters by providing them with a bank account, into which the defrauded amount was deposited.

The arrested individual has been identified as Zahad Jaiullah Khan, 21, a resident of Mira Road East. The South Regional Cyber Police have filed a case against him under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, including Sections 319 (2), 318 (4), 336 (2), 335 (3), 340 (2), 61 (1), 204, and Sections 66 (C) and 66 (D) of the Information Technology Act.

The complainant, a woman, received a call on 23rd September 2024 from an individual impersonating a police officer. The caller, claiming to be Officer Sawant, informed the woman that her Aadhaar card had been used to purchase a SIM card, which was then linked to a human trafficking operation. He further claimed that financial transactions had been carried out using the SIM card. Following this, the woman received video calls from individuals named Alok and Mishra, allegedly from central agencies.

The woman was told that Indian citizens were being illegally sent abroad and extorted for ransom, with the amount deposited into a private bank account opened using her Aadhaar card. Subsequently, she was sent an online link containing a warrant with property seizure orders in her name. Fearful of being arrested, the woman was coerced into depositing Rs 5.88 crore as a security deposit to avoid arrest. Following this, the woman transferred Rs 5,88,86,957 via RTGS to several bank accounts provided by the accused.

Realizing she had been defrauded, the woman immediately filed a complaint with the police. The South Regional Cyber Police registered the case and conducted an investigation with the help of the bank transactions. They discovered that Rs 5 lakh had been deposited into the accused Khan's bank account. After confirming Khan's involvement in withdrawing the money, the cyber police arrested him. Following the clear evidence of his role in the crime, Khan was taken into police custody.