Nashik: 60-Year-Old Woman Duped of Rs 23 Lakh in Digital Home Arrest Cyber Fraud

A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in Nashik, where a 60-year-old woman was duped of Rs 23 lakh by cybercriminals under the threat of "digital home arrest." The Nashik City Cyber Police have tracked down and arrested the bank account holders involved in the scam. The culprits, a father-daughter duo from Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, were taken into custody by the Indore Police and handed over to the Nashik Cyber Police on Monday, December 23.

The accused, identified as Asad Ahmed Khan (36) and his father Ali Ahmed Khan (59), were produced in court and remanded to police custody until December 27. During interrogation, the suspects revealed the name of the cybercrime mastermind, and police are actively pursuing him.

The investigation revealed that the bank account used in the fraud was linked to a madrasa. The mastermind had allegedly manipulated the madrasa authorities into providing their bank account details by appealing for financial help on social media. Many unsuspecting people transferred money to this account, only to later discover it was part of a cyber scam. The Nashik Cyber Police froze the madrasa-linked bank accounts as part of the probe.

On December 13, the elderly woman received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number. The caller, posing as a Crime Branch officer from Delhi, claimed that her bank account was linked to suspicious transactions by a person named Sandeep Kumar. The fraudster threatened her with immediate arrest, claiming that police officers were stationed outside her home. Terrified, the woman was coerced into transferring Rs 23 lakh to an ICICI Bank account under the pretense that the money would be returned within two to three days after verification.

The investigation revealed that the mastermind behind the scam met with the father-daughter duo in Paharganj, Delhi before the fraud took place. The duo was allegedly given bank account details in exchange for a commission.

The arrested duo is linked to similar cyber fraud cases across multiple states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu. Police are working to unravel the larger network of this cybercrime syndicate.

The Nashik City Cyber Police have urged citizens to remain vigilant and not to share personal or financial information over phone calls or online platforms. Any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the authorities to prevent further incidents of cyber fraud.