Delhi Police have arrested four individuals for their involvement in a cyber fraud where a man was tricked into transferring Rs 44.5 lakh under the guise of a ‘digital arrest’ by fraudsters impersonating CBI officers.
The scam came to light after the victim, Virender Kumar Indora, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase-1, filed a police complaint on January 29. Indora reported receiving a call from someone pretending to be a CBI officer. The fraudster falsely accused him of being involved in criminal activities and threatened him with legal action. Fearing arrest, Indora transferred Rs 44.5 lakh to avoid any consequences.
The scam method, known as a ‘digital arrest,’ involves scammers posing as law enforcement officials, falsely accusing victims of crimes to coerce them into paying large sums of money or disclosing sensitive personal details.
Following the complaint, Delhi Police initiated an investigation, and a forensic audit of bank accounts traced Rs 38 lakh to a private bank account in the name of Dinesh Singadhiya, a resident of Jaipur. The money was later withdrawn via cheque.
On March 5, a police team conducted a raid in Jaipur and arrested Dinesh Singadhiya. During interrogation, Singadhiya revealed the involvement of several accomplices, leading to the arrest of Prashant Verma, who had assisted in setting up fraudulent bank accounts.
The investigation also revealed that Prakash Choudhary, an important figure in the scam, was linked to Mahesh Nehra, the mastermind who allegedly had direct contact with international cybercriminals. Choudhary played a significant role in laundering the stolen funds by communicating with mule account providers through social media.
Further arrests followed, with Gajender Kumar, a man from Rajasthan, apprehended for helping Singadhiya withdraw the Rs 38 lakh. Police recovered four mobile phones used by the gang for coordinating illegal activities.
Authorities discovered that these arrested individuals were in contact with international scammers, orchestrating similar frauds across India. Their primary role was to facilitate the transfer of scammed funds by withdrawing money through cheques and ATMs before passing it to their foreign handlers.
The arrested individuals included Dinesh Singadhiya (26), a DJ helper and daily wage worker from Jaipur, Prashant Verma (24), a DJ from Jaipur, Prakash Choudhary (21), a college dropout, and Gajender Kumar, a BSc graduate preparing for government exams.
