The Charkop Police have successfully uncovered a digital arrest scam with the arrest of two men from Pune, who are believed to have defrauded a 59-year-old homemaker from Kandivali West of nearly Rs 10 lakh. Police stated that the accused, in their mid-twenties, were involved in a fraudulent operation that preyed on unsuspecting individuals, including the victim, a homemaker.
The complainant received a WhatsApp call on January 15 at around 10 AM from a man who introduced himself as a police officer named Khanna. The caller claimed that her bank account was involved in a scam and would be frozen. He further threatened her with legal consequences and informed her that she was under a “digital arrest.” A second call, allegedly from a lawyer, followed, demanding immediate payment to avoid further legal action.
Over the next few days, the accused kept in constant touch with the victim, directing her to transfer Rs 9.75 lakh. Believing the calls to be genuine, she made an RTGS payment. However, after speaking to relatives, the woman realized she had been scammed.
She quickly reported the incident to the Mumbai Police, and on January 31, an FIR was filed at the Charkop Police station. A dedicated police team, led by DCP Anand Bhoite and senior inspector Jyoti Bhople, began their investigation with the help of cyber officer Vishal Tejale.
The investigators traced the money to the bank account of 23-year-old Bhaggaram Devasi, a jalebi vendor from Pune. Although his phone number was initially unreachable, police later located another working phone number linked to his Aadhaar details. After tracking him to Talavde in Pune, the police arrested Devasi.
Devasi revealed that he had opened the account at the behest of 24-year-old Kamlesh Chaudhari, also from Pune. For his involvement, Devasi had received a commission of Rs 30,000. Further investigation revealed that Chaudhari had orchestrated the scam by opening multiple bank accounts to receive the illicit funds. He paid commissions ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 for these accounts. Chaudhari then funneled the stolen money to the mastermind behind the operation.
Both men were arrested and charged, and police are continuing to investigate the broader network of this digital scam.
