Three individuals have been arrested by the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Police for allegedly swindling a man out of Rs 3.84 crore in a digital fraud operation disguised as a money laundering scam. The arrested suspects were identified as Mathangi Harish Babu (34), Logesh (30), and S Afroz (31).
According to the police, the victim received a phone call from a fraudster posing as an official from the Directorate of Enforcement. The scammer falsely accused the victim of being involved in money laundering, claiming that their Aadhaar card was used for illegal activities. The fraudster threatened the victim with an arrest warrant and even sent a fabricated copy of it to add credibility to the threat.
Under duress, the victim was subjected to an online interrogation, where they were instructed to transfer Rs 3.84 crore to a designated “supervision account” in order to clear the charges and avoid arrest. Believing the fraudulent claims, the victim transferred the money in multiple installments.
It wasn’t until later that the victim realized they had been scammed. The victim promptly filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. After receiving the complaint, the Cyber Crime Police analyzed the bank accounts where the funds had been sent and tracked down the perpetrators.
The police investigation revealed that Harish Babu was a mule account holder, having earned Rs 1 lakh by selling his bank account. Logesh, identified as a mule account agent, confessed to providing two separate bank accounts to the operators to facilitate the transactions. S Afroz, one of the primary operators, used trading agencies to launder the illegally obtained funds, allegedly to evade taxes.
Following their arrest, the trio was brought into custody for their roles in the scam. The investigation is still ongoing, with authorities looking into the full extent of the network and whether others were involved in the scheme.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the growing prevalence of online scams that manipulate victims through false claims and threats. The Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Police have urged citizens to be cautious and report any suspicious calls or emails immediately.