Panipat, Haryana – A 29-year-old man, Rakesh Kumar, has been arrested for allegedly allowing cybercriminals to use his bank account in a high-profile digital arrest scam. The fraud gang recently extorted Rs 40 lakh from a woman in Noida by posing as law enforcement officers.
According to Additional DCP (Cyber Crime) Shavya Goyal, the incident came to light after the victim filed a complaint on August 21. She reported that scammers, pretending to be police officials, accused her of involvement in money laundering and convinced her to transfer Rs 40 lakh across multiple bank accounts “for investigation purposes.”
One of these accounts was found to belong to Rakesh Kumar. Following the complaint, authorities froze the associated accounts and traced the money trail to Panipat. Rakesh was subsequently arrested.
During interrogation, Rakesh revealed that he was working with a local associate named Karan, who had been supplying bank accounts to cyber fraudsters. Karan, currently in Karnal Jail for a similar offence, had promised Rakesh a fixed monthly income for allowing the misuse of his bank account.
“In this particular case, Rs 4.98 lakh of the extorted money was transferred to Rakesh’s account,” said DCP Goyal. “He withdrew the money along with Karan and they split the amount as commission.”
Further investigation revealed that Rakesh had previously shared his bank account details with other fraudsters as well. Police are currently analyzing his transactions for more suspicious activity, and his employer has been contacted for background verification.
ACP (Cyber Crime) Vivek Ranjan Rai issued a warning to the public: “No law enforcement agency conducts digital arrests or video-call interrogations. If someone claiming to be an official demands money or threatens arrest, verify their credentials and report to the police immediately.”
Citizens are also urged to contact the cyber helpline 1930 if they receive any suspicious or threatening calls related to drugs, couriers, or money laundering.
