The Malad police have arrested four individuals for allegedly defrauding an unsuspecting elderly man in a digital arrest scam. The accused were arrested from Surat, Gujarat, and have been identified as Jai Rasikabhai Moradia (21), Dharam Gohil (26), Sandeep Kevadia (30), and Jai Asodriya (22).
The incident occurred on December 21, when a 68-year-old man from Malad received a call from someone claiming to be a policeman. After obtaining the victim’s personal information, the caller informed him that a person named Goyal had opened a bank account using the complainant’s Aadhaar card. The caller further fabricated a story about financial irregularities in the account and suggested the victim go to the police station for questioning.
When the complainant denied any knowledge of Goyal, the caller escalated the scam by making a video call. During the call, the victim saw a person dressed in a police uniform, who falsely informed him that he had been “digitally arrested” and would be unable to contact anyone. The fraudster then demanded Rs10 lakh to resolve the situation, threatening that the police would visit his home for an actual arrest if the payment was not made.
In fear of further action, the victim transferred Rs8.6 lakh to the provided bank account. However, he later realized he had been scammed and promptly filed a complaint with the Malad police. The investigation revealed that the accounts used in the transaction were linked to the arrested suspects.
The police have successfully arrested the four men involved in this digital arrest scam, with further investigations ongoing into their activities.