Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 6 Sept: The Uttarakhand STF Cyber Crime Police has arrested two cyber criminals from Karol Bagh, Delhi, in a case of fraud worth Rs 1.47 crore. The accused had cheated a retired Vice Chancellor of Rohilkhand University by trapping her in a “digital arrest” scam.
Police said the criminals posed as officials of the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Department. They told the victim that Rs 60 crore was deposited in a bank account opened in her name and that she was under investigation for money laundering.
By creating fear of legal action, the fraudsters forced the victim to stay under their control through WhatsApp calls for 12 days. During this period, they made her transfer a total of Rs 1.47 crore into several bank accounts.
Earlier, on August 31, one accused in the same case was arrested from Solan, Himachal Pradesh. With the latest action, the STF has arrested three people linked to this fraud.
The arrested men have been identified as Mohammad Saif from Lucknow and Shakeel Ansari from Sahibganj, Jharkhand. Police recovered 9 mobile phones, 14 SIM cards, cheque books, debit cards, a passport, and other items from their possession.
SSP STF Navneet Singh said that “digital arrest” is a cyber scam in which criminals pretend to be police, CBI, or ED officials. They keep victims under constant WhatsApp or video calls, accuse them of crimes like money laundering or drug smuggling, and then extort huge amounts of money.
