In a significant breakthrough, Tamil Nadu Police’s Cyber Crime wing arrested three individuals linked to a Rs 3.8 crore “digital arrest scam.” The scam involved fraudsters posing as law enforcement officers to deceive victims into transferring large sums of money under the pretext of being involved in criminal activities.
In this particular case, the victim received a call from someone claiming to be from the Directorate of Enforcement. The fraudster falsely accused the victim of being involved in money laundering activities and threatened to issue an arrest warrant. A fabricated arrest warrant was also sent to the victim, creating a sense of urgency and fear.
The scam took a disturbing turn when the victim was subjected to an online interrogation, during which the fraudster demanded that the victim transfer funds to a “supervision account” to avoid being arrested. Trusting the supposed authority, the victim transferred a staggering Rs 3.84 crore to multiple accounts provided by the scammers.
Realizing they had been defrauded, the victim filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Following the investigation, Tamil Nadu’s Cyber Crime Investigation Cell arrested three individuals: Mathangi Harish Babu (34), a mule account holder who had sold his account for Rs 1 lakh; Logesh (30) from Ayapakkam, an agent who provided two bank accounts for the operation; and S Afroz (31) from Kavangarai, an operator accused of using trading agencies to launder the illegal funds for tax evasion.
The arrested individuals were presented before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody, with authorities working to track down other individuals involved in the scam.