On Wednesday, the City Cyber police arrested two natives of Rajasthan for extorting Rs4.08 crore from a doctor in Kozhikode through cyber fraud. The main accused, Sunil Dangi (48), and co-accused, Sheetal Kumar Mehta (28), were apprehended in Badi Sadri, Rajasthan.
In January, Dangi contacted the victim via WhatsApp, posing as someone named Amith. He convinced the doctor that he had lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic and was facing a severe financial crisis that required urgent help. Dangi fabricated various scenarios and sent fake photos, voice messages, and other information to exploit the doctor’s sympathy and extort large sums of money.
Between January 31 and August 23, the accused managed to extort a staggering Rs4,08,80,457 from the doctor in multiple installments. When the doctor requested the return of his money, Dangi claimed he would sell his family property to repay him. Instead, he continued the deception, citing fabricated communal riots, a suicide, and a murder connected to the sale of land as reasons for further extortion.
The scam came to light when the doctor’s son discovered suspicious bank transactions. Following this, the doctor filed a complaint with the Kozhikode City Cyber police, who conducted a thorough investigation and traced the suspects to Rajasthan.
The investigation revealed that Sunil Dangi laundered the extorted money through various bank accounts linked to gambling centers, while Mehta’s account was also implicated. Preliminary findings indicated that the stolen funds were spent on casinos and online gambling sites in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
