Odisha Police have successfully arrested two individuals from Rajasthan for defrauding a Rourkela resident, Arun Kumar Mandal, of Rs 23 lakh through a digital arrest scam. The accused, Mukesh Kumar Saini (21) and Harshit Sain (22), were apprehended from Jaipur and Jodhpur. They posed as officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), extorting large sums of money from Mandal under the pretext of a “digital arrest.”
The scam began when Mandal was contacted by a fraudster claiming to be from DHL, informing him that a parcel addressed to him was being returned. When Mandal denied knowledge of the parcel, the caller falsely accused him of being involved in a shipment containing narcotics, sent from Mumbai to China. The fraudster escalated the situation by connecting Mandal to another person, who claimed to be a Mumbai Crime Branch officer. The scammer, during a video call, threatened Mandal with arrest unless he paid Rs 20 lakh to clear his name.
Fearing legal repercussions, Mandal transferred the demanded amount. The scammers later extorted an additional Rs 3 lakh, bringing the total to Rs 23 lakh. After Mandal filed a complaint, the Rourkela Police initiated a special team, which tracked down and arrested the two suspects in Rajasthan.
Investigations revealed that this scam was part of a larger, organized network operating both in India and internationally. Authorities are continuing their efforts to identify other members of the gang and prevent further fraudulent activities.
Police have warned the public to be cautious of such digital scams, especially those involving impersonation and threats of digital arrests.
