A 19-year-old resident of a hostel in Jaipur, Neeraj Bhatt, was arrested for allegedly masterminding a digital arrest scam that duped a retired teacher from Dehradun out of Rs2.27 crore. Bhatt, who lived at Agarwal Boys Hostel near Landscape Park in Jaipur, was arrested on January 18 and brought to Dehradun for further investigation.
Police suggest Bhatt might also be involved in similar fraudulent activities in Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh. In this scam, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officers online, claiming that the victim is facing arrest on fabricated charges. The scammers then pressure the victim to temporarily transfer large sums of money to “validate” their accounts, as was the case with Mahipal Singh, the 63-year-old retired teacher who lost his life savings to the scam.
The cyber police station in Dehradun took up the case after Singh filed a complaint. Senior Superintendent of Police (STF), Navneet Singh, confirmed that the investigation was underway, and more details may emerge as Bhatt’s connections to other states are explored.