Digital arrest: Cybercriminals dupe Gwalior resident of Rs 7.10 lakh

Bhopal, Aug 6 A retired Madhya Pradesh government official in Gwalior became the latest victim of cybercrime as he lost more than Rs 7 lakh after being kept in digital arrest for almost 22 hours, the police said on Wednesday.

The fraudsters, impersonating Crime Branch officials, contacted Avneesh Chandra, a retired employee of Madhya Pradesh's Dairy Department, through a WhatsApp call, saying that his mobile SIM card would be deactivated soon as multiple SIM cards were procured against a single Aadhaar ID.

"Cybercriminals told the victim that a mobile SIM card issued on his Aadhaar ID was used in Hawala money of more than Rs 700 crore into a Delhi-based bank, therefore, Crime Branch is investigating the matter, and his number is under scanner," the Gwalior Police said on Wednesday.

According to police, the caller impersonating a senior Crime Branch officer from Delhi, told the victim that money transacted in multiple bank accounts is lacking mandatory details, including income tax verification, etc.

"During the digital arrest, criminals accessed his bank details in the name of inquiry and duped him of Rs 7.10 lakh," the police said.

In a complaint filed at police station in Gwalior recently, the victim said that he was asked to transfer Rs 7.10 lakh into a bank account of a person living in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh.

The fraudsters told the victim that money would be sent to RBI for an undergoing inquiry into the matter and then it would be returned to his bank account, if no irregularities are detected.

After waiting for two-three days to get his money back, Avneesh Chandra filed a complaint at Gwalior police station a few days ago.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Krishna Lalchandani said that a case has been registered and an inquiry would be initiated soon.

Earlier in April this year, Swami Supradiptananda, secretary of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram in Gwalior, had lost Rs 2.5 crore after he was kept under digital arrest for 26 days.

Over a period of 26 days, he was virtually held hostage through video calls and coerced into transferring the money to multiple bank accounts across the country.

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