Noida Police Investigate Three High-Value Digital Arrest Scams
In a concerning development, the Noida police have reported at least three major cases of digital arrest scams occurring between February and March, resulting in victims being defrauded of approximately Rs 2 crore. These incidents highlight a sophisticated form of cybercrime targeting vulnerable individuals, particularly senior citizens, through intimidation and deception.
First Incident: Senior Citizen Loses Over Rs 1 Crore
The first case involved a 72-year-old man from Surajpur, who was cheated of more than Rs 1 crore after being subjected to digital arrest from February 6 to 26. The victim, Dilip Kumar Das, alleged in his complaint that on February 6, he received a call from a person claiming to be an official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority. The caller falsely informed Das that his mobile number had been used to send obscene videos to multiple individuals and that the case was under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Furthermore, the fraudster asserted that transactions totaling Rs 2 crore were traced to Das's bank account, which he had allegedly sold for Rs 5 lakh to avoid legal consequences. "The victim was asked to reach Mumbai within two hours for the investigation. When he expressed his inability to do so, the caller put him under digital arrest via video call," explained a police officer.
During the video call, Das reported seeing multiple individuals, including one dressed in a judge's robe who instructed another person in a police uniform to arrest him. "A person wearing a judge's robe instructed another person dressed as a police officer standing beside him to arrest me. The police officer then told the judge that I was a senior citizen and requested him not to arrest me as I was cooperating with them," stated the FIR.
Under the pretext of investigation and money verification, Das was coerced into transferring his savings into bank accounts provided by the suspects. From February 6 to 26, he transferred Rs 1.2 crore in multiple transactions. Despite receiving a fake no dues certificate (NOC), when the funds were not returned to his account, he realized he had been cheated.
Second Incident: Elderly Man Defrauded of Rs 76 Lakh
In a similar case, a 75-year-old man from Greater Noida's Sector 1 was put under digital arrest from February 24 to March 9 and defrauded of nearly Rs 76 lakh. The victim, Ramnath Singh, detailed in his FIR that on February 24, he received a WhatsApp video call from an unidentified man who introduced himself as the director of the CBI.
The caller alleged that Singh's Aadhaar card was linked to a bank account used to cheat 247 people of a total of Rs 38 crore. "To investigate, the suspect put me under digital arrest and I transferred Rs 75.6 lakh from February 26 to March 3," read the FIR. When Singh attempted to contact the suspect to retrieve his money and received no response, he realized he had been scammed. The matter was subsequently reported to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), and a case was registered at the Cybercrime Branch police station.
Third Incident: Woman Loses Rs 8.5 Lakh
The third incident involved a 50-year-old woman named Sabnam, a resident of Sector 34, who lost Rs 8.5 lakh in a digital arrest scam on February 12. Sabnam reported receiving a call from an unknown man who informed her that a money laundering case had been registered against her in Jammu and Kashmir.
"When I said there was a mistake and requested them not to arrest me, he said they would first verify the money in my bank account. He said I would have to deposit my money into bank accounts specified by him, which would be returned to me after verification. I transferred the money on February 13. When I tried to contact them later to get back my money, they did not take my calls," she recounted.
Police Response and Investigation
Vijay Rana, SHO of the Cybercrime Branch police station, confirmed that three cases have been registered under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the BNS, along with relevant sections of the IT Act. Teams have been formed to investigate these incidents thoroughly, aiming to apprehend the perpetrators and prevent future occurrences. The police urge the public, especially elderly individuals, to remain vigilant against such scams and report any suspicious activities immediately.
