The City Crime Branch arrested an on-the-run suspect of an interstate gang from Gujarat involved in an online fraud of Rs40.70 lakh targeting a senior citizen through a “digital arrest” scam, officials said on Thursday.
Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotiya stated that the arrested suspect, Piyush Parmar from Surat, was apprehended following a specific tip-off. Police have also frozen 23 bank accounts linked to the online fraud.
The victim, a 71-year-old retired man, filed a complaint on the NCRP portal after receiving a WhatsApp call on October 3, 2024. The caller falsely claimed to be a police officer from the Banda Police Station, alleging that the complainant had conducted a Rs2.60 crore transaction through a nationalised bank account in Mumbai. The fraudster claimed that the victim had received a 15% commission from the transaction and could face arrest by both the police and the CBI.
To make the scam appear legitimate, the gang sent fake documents and used threats of arrest. The victim was then connected on a conference call with another individual impersonating a CBI officer named Akash Kulkarni. Under pressure, the victim shared his bank details and was instructed to transfer his funds to purported RBI accounts for “verification.”
Fearing legal consequences, the victim broke his fixed deposits and transferred a total of Rs40.70 lakh in multiple transactions. When the funds were not returned, he realised he had been scammed and lodged a complaint.
Following the complaint, the crime branch registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS Act. Earlier, two other suspects from Gujarat—Himmatbhai Devani from Surat and Atul Giri Goswami from Kutch—had already been arrested.
During further investigation and technical analysis, the team tracked and arrested Piyush Parmar. Police said Parmar allegedly admitted to arranging bank accounts for the gang to receive funds from victims. The gang reportedly called hundreds of people daily, posing as police or investigative officers, and used threats of fake legal action to extort money.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to identify additional gang members and potential victims targeted by the syndicate.
