In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Crime Police Station, in coordination with Chennai police, arrested two individuals involved in a high-value “digital arrest” scam that defrauded a resident of Chennai of Rs1 crore. The accused, Pradeep Singh from Rajasthan and Yashdeep Singh from Mohali, both 24, were arrested after a joint operation that traced their involvement to Chandigarh.
The scam began when Chennai police received a complaint from a victim who was cheated of ₹1 crore by scammers impersonating government officials. The fraudsters used a variety of tactics, including phone calls and video calls through WhatsApp and Skype, to convince the victim that they were dealing with law enforcement officers. The scammers, posing as police or customs officials, displayed a fake police station backdrop during video calls to further deceive the victim into believing they were legitimate authorities.
Upon investigation, Chennai police identified a link to Chandigarh and provided the UT Police with a UCO Bank account number used for the fraudulent transaction. The Cyber Crime Police Station in Chandigarh, with the assistance of technical resources, quickly traced the accused’s whereabouts and apprehended them. They were subsequently handed over to Chennai police for further legal proceedings.
Police revealed that the arrested duo was part of a larger criminal network involved in setting up mule bank accounts. These accounts were used to facilitate transactions of ill-gotten money, with the accused receiving commissions for every transaction processed.
This “digital arrest” scam has become a growing concern, with many citizens being tricked by fraudsters pretending to be from the police, customs, or CBI. Victims are often coerced into transferring large sums of money to avoid being arrested or charged with fabricated offenses.
