Mumbai Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 27-year-old man, Sohail Bashir Shaikh, for his involvement in a digital arrest scam that defrauded a retired director of a private company to the tune of Rs 90 lakh. The investigation revealed that part of the money extorted from the complainant was transferred to the bank account of Shaikh, who is a resident of JP Road in Andheri.
According to police sources, the crime occurred between December 20 of last year and January 1. The complainant, a retired director residing on Nepean Sea Road, received a series of phone calls and messages from an unknown number. The caller, who claimed to be Inspector Arun Kumar from the Delhi Cyber Crime department, informed the complainant that his Aadhar card had been misused to open an unauthorized bank account. This account was allegedly linked to money laundering, investment fraud, and identity theft.
The fraudster went on to send a bogus CBI notice, instructing the complainant to transfer funds from his bank account to a “Confidential Surveillance Account.” The false claim was that this step was necessary for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to verify the legitimacy of his transactions.
Shaikh was arrested after the authorities traced the funds and linked him to the syndicate behind the scam.
