Panaji, April 24 The Goa Cyber Police apprehended a 48-year-old man from Maharashtra for his alleged involvement in a major cyber fraud case amounting to Rs 61.84 lakh, police officials said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Dayanand Baburao Devalkar, a resident of Ajara in Kolhapur, was traced following an in-depth technical investigation, the office of the superintendent of police (cyber crime), Raibandar, said in a statement.
Police officials said that the funds were transferred into Devalkar’s bank account before being routed to multiple accounts belonging to his associates.
An investigation was initiated after a complaint filed by a resident of Quepem on April 13. According to the police, the fraudsters, acting as Mumbai Crime Branch officers through a WhatsApp number, allegedly threatened the complainant with fabricated allegations of money laundering linked to the banned organisation, PFI.
The accused shared fake documents, including a fraudulent bank statement and an arrest warrant, to intimidate the victim, the police said.
The complainant was subjected to a 'digital arrest' and coerced into transferring Rs 61,84,200 to settle the alleged case, the police statement said.
A team led by Sub-Inspector Navin Naik, alongside constables Sidaramaiyya Math and Vinay Amonkar, conducted the raid in Ajara to secure the arrest of the accused.
The investigation is being conducted by Inspector Deepak Pednekar under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police BV Sridevi and Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Raju Raut Desai.
This arrest follows a surge in 'digital arrest' scams across the coastal state.
In February, a Porvorim resident lost nearly Rs 15 lakh in a similar ruse involving fake narcotics officials. In late 2023, the Goa Police issued a public advisory after several professionals reported being held on video calls for hours by individuals posing as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The arrested accused is being produced before the court to seek police custody.
The police are currently tracking the secondary bank accounts to identify the wider network involved in the syndicate.
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