man working in the tech industry became the latest victim of a cyber scam, losing Rs 11 crore after fraudsters impersonated government officials and threatened him with arrest over an alleged money laundering case. Following the incident, three suspects were arrested by the police.
According to police, the fraudsters learned that the victim, Vijay Kumar, had made a market investment of Rs 50 lakh, which had grown to Rs 12 crore. The criminals then posed as officials from the police, customs, and Enforcement Directorate (ED), threatening Kumar with arrest unless he cleared his name by following certain “government procedures.”
Under pressure, Kumar provided personal details such as his Aadhaar, PAN card, and KYC information. Over the next few months, the fraudsters siphoned funds from his bank accounts, claiming the transactions were necessary to resolve the case.
After Kumar filed a complaint, the Cyber Crime police launched an investigation, tracing Rs 7.5 crore to a single account in Allahabad. The trail led them to Surat, where they found that one of the accused, Dhaval Shah, had used the stolen money to purchase gold. Shah had acted on the instructions of a Dubai-based fraudster, receiving a Rs 1.5 crore commission for the deal. The gold was handed over to an unknown person, known as “Neel Bhai”.
The police have arrested three individuals so far: Tarun Natani, Karan, and Dhaval Shah. Further investigation is underway under the relevant sections of the IT Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).