Two arrested for Rs 3 crore digital arrest scam in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Cyber Crime Police of Hyderabad arrested two natives of Gujarat for duping a Hyderabad-based doctor of Rs 3 crore in a digital arrest scam.

The accused have been identified as Harpal Singh, 54, and Syed Aiyub Bhai, 50. They impersonated government officials and demanded money from the victim to prove her innocence in a fake money laundering case.

Digital arrest case, how it unfolded

Last year on October 14, a doctor residing in Gudimalkapur in Hyderabad received a call from an unknown person claiming to be from the Telecom department. The caller stated that the victim’s number was involved in a money laundering case and would be blocked in two hours. The caller further claimed that she was placed under a digital arrest, restricting her communication and financial transactions. He accused her of colluding with a Delhi-based fraudster Suresh Kute.

When she denied the allegations, the caller made a Skype call and introduced himself as Shashank Jaiswal, an IPS officer from Delhi police.

To make her believe him, Jaiswal displayed documents which appeared to be signed by former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. He insisted she transfer Rs 3 crore into their accounts to prove her innocence. He also threatened her husband and child would be in danger if she did not comply with his orders.

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The doctor was assured that the money would be returned once her innocence was proved. They asked her to maintain confidentiality over the incident as it was a ‘national secret’. The victim then redeemed her fixed deposits and transferred the said amount to the fraudsters.

Hyderabad doctor realised she was scammed

After the doctor transferred the money she waited for the refund but upon no contact from the fraudsters for over a week, she realized she was scammed. She immediately registered a complaint with the cyber crime police of Hyderabad on October 29 stating she was deceived by fraudsters who claimed she was under digital arrest.

Harpal Singh, a home loan consultant from Ahmedabad and Syed Aiyub, a property dealer from Surat have been arrested for the crime. The two accused have also been identified in 17 other cases from across India. Further investigation is going on.

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