In a significant crackdown, the cyber crime police in Kanpur have successfully busted a gang of fraudsters who were duping people through the menace of 'digital arrest'. The operation led to the arrest of five gang members on Thursday.
The Modus Operandi: Fear and Extortion
The arrested individuals targeted common citizens by posing as officers from the police or crime branch. Their method was to instill fear by making false allegations of serious crimes, such as watching obscene content. They would then threaten victims with immediate arrest and imprisonment unless money was transferred online.
The gang used phone calls from various locations to contact their targets. To appear legitimate and gain trust, they even instructed victims to send formal apology letters via WhatsApp. Once the victim was sufficiently intimidated, the fraudsters demanded money transfers through multiple bank accounts, UPI IDs, and QR codes.
The Case That Led to the Bust
The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed on December 17 by Pramod Kumar Chauhan, a resident of Shravasti district. He approached the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kanpur Nagar after receiving a call from an unidentified person claiming to be a police officer.
The caller accused Chauhan of watching obscene videos and threatened him with jail time unless he paid a sum of money. Based on this complaint, a case was registered under sections 318(4)/ 308/ 319 (2) / 204 /61 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 66(D) of the IT Act.
Police Action and Recognition
The action against this cyber fraud ring was taken under the ongoing campaign against crime and criminals, spearheaded by Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal. The operation was conducted on the direct directions of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) and the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).
The five arrested accused have been identified as Suresh, Aman Vishwakarma, Vinay Sonkar, Dinesh Singh, and Pankaj Singh. Following their arrest, all were sent to jail. Applauding the success, senior officers have announced a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for the police team involved in cracking the case.
This bust highlights the increasing threat of sophisticated cyber fraud where criminals exploit the authority of law enforcement to commit extortion. The public is advised to remain vigilant and verify the credentials of anyone making such threatening demands for money.
