Rajkot Police Arrest Student in Rs 88 Lakh Digital Arrest Scam
In a significant crackdown on cyber fraud, the Rajkot City Cyber Crime police have arrested a 22-year-old student from Madhya Pradesh for his alleged involvement in a sophisticated "digital arrest" scam. The elaborate scheme resulted in a retired court worker being defrauded of more than Rs 88 lakh, highlighting the growing threat of online financial crimes in India.
Victim Details and Modus Operandi
The complaint was filed by 69-year-old Dinesh Delwadiya, who had retired as an assistant clerk at the Rajkot sessions court. According to police reports, Delwadiya and his wife received threatening calls from individuals posing as officers from the Delhi crime branch. These imposters falsely accused the couple of involvement in money laundering and drug trafficking operations.
The callers employed psychological manipulation tactics, threatening the elderly couple with life imprisonment unless they complied with their demands. The fraudsters then placed the victims under what they termed "digital detention" for an extended period of 45 days. During this time, the couple was coerced into transferring substantial sums of money to multiple bank accounts under the pretext of "verification processes."
Financial Extortion and Investigation Findings
Between July 10 and July 31, the terrified couple transferred a staggering Rs 88 lakh to various bank accounts as directed by the scammers. The criminals escalated their demands by pressuring the victims to take out a gold loan, from which they extracted an additional Rs 27 lakh. Throughout this ordeal, the fraudsters maintained the false promise that all funds would be returned after the completion of the verification procedure.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime) Chintan Patel revealed that the investigation uncovered a network of 10 bank accounts used to siphon the stolen money. One of these accounts belonged to the arrested student, Devansh alias Kano Joshi, which received Rs 8 lakh from the complainant's transfers.
Arrested Student's Background and Involvement
Devansh Joshi, a third-year BCA student from Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh, was apprehended by Rajkot police following the complaint. The student, who also worked part-time, allegedly permitted cyber criminals to utilize his bank account for their fraudulent activities. Police investigations indicate that Joshi received approximately Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation for allowing his account to be used in the scam.
Investigating Officer S D Gilva disclosed that Joshi confessed to police that financial desperation drove him to participate in the crime. After losing his job, Joshi was allegedly recruited by a relative named Ketan Joshi, who remains at large. The relative reportedly lured the student with promises of easy money in exchange for sharing his bank account details and related documentation.
Broader Criminal Network and Ongoing Investigation
Police records show that Joshi's bank account has been implicated in 21 separate complaints registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), suggesting his potential involvement in multiple fraudulent schemes. In connection with this particular case, authorities have already arrested three additional accused individuals, with expectations of more arrests as the investigation progresses.
The Rajkot Cyber Crime police continue their probe into the sophisticated scam operation, working to identify and apprehend all individuals involved in orchestrating the digital arrest scheme that preyed upon vulnerable senior citizens through psychological manipulation and financial extortion.
