In connection with the digital arrest scam involving 58 crore rupees, the Maharashtra Police have arrested seven people linked to the fraud.
Maharashtra Cyber, the state’s nodal agency for tackling cybercrime, revealed that the masterminds behind the scam used over 6,500 fake bank accounts, spread across 13 layers, to launder the stolen money.
These accounts were opened under the names of bogus companies. The case was registered by Maharashtra Cyber after a 72-year-old businessman from Mumbai reported that he had been digitally arrested and defrauded of a large sum of money.
Digital arrest is an emerging form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officers or government officials and threaten victims over audio or video calls. They virtually detain the victims and coerce them into transferring money.
In the case of the 72-year-old businessman, the fraudsters conducted fake court proceedings and police interrogations over video calls, tricking him into transferring 58.13 crore rupees over 40 days, wiping out his entire life savings.
Digital arrest is a growing form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials or personnel of government agencies and intimidate victims through audio/video calls.
They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on them to pay money.
In the septuagenarian’s case, the fraudsters orchestrated fake court proceedings and police interrogations over video calls, tricking him into transferring Rs 58.13 crore over 40 days, wiping out his life savings, he said.
The seven persons arrested by Maharashtra Cyber are directly linked to the cross-border fraudulent financial network, the official said.
These individuals either opened or operated mule accounts in their names, received the proceeds of the crime in the initial layers of transactions to facilitate fund movement or sourced or managed the accounts for the syndicate, he said.
Nearly Rs 3.5 crore has been frozen by the investigators so far, while efforts are being made to trace the mastermind.
The role of the branch manager of the victim’s bank is also under investigation to determine possible negligence or complicity in the fraudulent transfers, he said.
According to the complainant, he had received a call from an international number, with the caller claiming to be an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and alleging misuse of the senior citizen’s mobile number.
The call was later transferred to a person claiming to be from the Mumbai crime branch, who falsely accused the victim of involvement in money laundering, the official said.
Through video calls, the man was threatened with arrest and deceived into transferring Rs 58.13 crore.
Citing the investigations into the technical and financial aspects, the official said the cybercriminals used VPNs (virtual private networks), TOR networks, and over 6,500 mule accounts distributed across 13 layers, opened in the names of shell firms to launder the money.