Srinagar: In a major success, the cyber police of Jammu and Kashmir have cracked a ‘digital arrest’ case, where the victim was cheated of Rs 21 lakhs.
The police have arrested three non locals identified as Gaurav Kumar of Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, Gurpreet Singh and Ujjawal Chauhan both residents of Patiala, Punjab.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Imtiyaz Hussain Mir on Friday said that Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone Srinagar took cognizance upon receiving a written complaint from a senior citizen of Srinagar, who was allegedly defrauded of Rs 21 lakh in ‘digital arrest scam’.
He said the fraudsters impersonated as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) coerced the victim into transferring funds.
“The scammers accused the victim of being involved in money laundering involving Rs 6.8 crores and issued ‘fabricated’ arrest warrants and penalties to intimidate him. Through psychological manipulation, they declared the conversations a “national secret,” instructed the victim to lock his house, avoid communication with others, and falsely assured him of a refund within hours.
Under this pressure, the victim closed his fixed deposits and transferred Rs 21 lakh into a fraudulent HDFC Bank account,” the SSP said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar.
Mir said upon receiving the complaint, an FIR was registered and Cyber Police Kashmir initiated a swift investigation. During the investigation, ‘Leveraging advanced technical tools, the police identified the culprits and dispatched teams to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab.
The operation led to the arrests of Gaurav Kumar, Gurpreet Singh, and Ujjawal Chauhan,” he said.
During the raids, the police seized four mobile phones, a MacBook, 13 SIM cards, 24 debit cards, 20 cheque books, 10 passbooks, and other incriminating materials.
The SSP said so far Rs 4.13 lakhs has been recovered and they have been credited to the account of the complainant.
He said further investigation is ongoing to uncover other conspirators and dismantle the larger network behind this scam.
Police said the accused persons face multiple charges, including fraud, conspiracy, and coercion.
Cyber Police Kashmir Zone has advised citizens to exercise extreme caution when sharing sensitive financial information.
UNI MJR/QAB
