Elderly Couple Loses Rs 34 Lakhs to Gulf Cyber Fraudsters in Digital Arrest Scam | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: The state police have found the suspected involvement of unknown cyber criminals from Gulf countries while investigating a digital arrest scam case where a couple from Jharsuguda district was duped of Rs 34 lakh in May. “Our cyber, financial and forensic investigation techniques unearthed a forward international link to the gang. Fraudsters are operating from some foreign nations. Efforts are on to zero in on them and arrest them,” IG (northern range) Himanshu Kumar Lal said.
The incident took place in May where the couple, who are in their 60s, were targeted by cyber criminals who called them up, posing as officers of law enforcement agencies. The fraudsters threatened the victims by alleging that their bank accounts were linked to money laundering cases. The scammers exploited and blackmailed the couple for eight days, forcing them to transfer Rs 34 lakh to the accounts shared by the accused.
The fraudsters used fake corporate bank accounts for receiving the money of victims. These accounts were used for intermediary transactions. As soon as money was credited to these accounts, it was immediately transferred to multiple accounts.
“By analysing the digital evidence, we raided across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and recently arrested the four accused, who received the money in their bank accounts. We have already recovered Rs 33 lakh with Rs 14 lakh already reverted to the complainant’s bank account,” Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar said.
According to Parmar, the arrest of four men belonging to Maharashtra and Surat around a week ago and their subsequent interrogation helped the police to get vital clues about the key members of the cyber gang operating from foreign soil.
Police said the gang operated through an elaborate network, using internet calls to threaten victims with digital arrest. They would then transfer the extorted money through UPI platforms, distributing it across hundreds of accounts to avoid detection.
The incident took place in May where the couple, who are in their 60s, were targeted by cyber criminals who called them up, posing as officers of law enforcement agencies. The fraudsters threatened the victims by alleging that their bank accounts were linked to money laundering cases. The scammers exploited and blackmailed the couple for eight days, forcing them to transfer Rs 34 lakh to the accounts shared by the accused.
The fraudsters used fake corporate bank accounts for receiving the money of victims. These accounts were used for intermediary transactions. As soon as money was credited to these accounts, it was immediately transferred to multiple accounts.
“By analysing the digital evidence, we raided across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and recently arrested the four accused, who received the money in their bank accounts. We have already recovered Rs 33 lakh with Rs 14 lakh already reverted to the complainant’s bank account,” Jharsuguda SP Smit Parmar said.
According to Parmar, the arrest of four men belonging to Maharashtra and Surat around a week ago and their subsequent interrogation helped the police to get vital clues about the key members of the cyber gang operating from foreign soil.
Police said the gang operated through an elaborate network, using internet calls to threaten victims with digital arrest. They would then transfer the extorted money through UPI platforms, distributing it across hundreds of accounts to avoid detection.
