The Maharashtra Cyber Police on Wednesday arrested three men accused of offering their bank accounts to cyber fraudsters who duped a 72-year-old Mumbai stock market investor and his wife of Rs58 crore through a fake ‘digital arrest’ operation.
Police said the ordeal began on August 19, when the victim received a call from individuals posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The fraudsters claimed that illegal funds had been detected in his bank account and informed him that he was being placed under “digital arrest.”
They also sent forged documents to make the impersonation appear legitimate.
The scammers instructed the victim and his wife to transfer their funds for “verification,” assuring them the money would be returned once cleared. Trusting the callers, the couple transferred a total of Rs58.13 crore via RTGS between August 19 and October 8.
Investigators later discovered that the funds had been routed to 18 different bank accounts across Maharashtra and other states. After tracing the money trail, the cyber police identified and arrested three individuals who had knowingly provided their accounts for the scam.
The accused have been identified as Abdul Khulli (47) from Malad, Arjun Kadwasara (55) from Chira Bazaar, and his brother Jetharam (35) from Mumbai Central. All three are believed to have acted as mule account holders for the fraud network.
