The Triplicane Cyber Crime Wing police in Chennai have arrested two men involved in a digital scam that defrauded a woman of Rs 1.16 lakh. The incident came to light when Rizwana Begum filed a complaint about being tricked into paying a fine under the threat of a “digital arrest.”
According to the police, on February 3, Rizwana received a call from someone posing as a customs officer, who claimed that a parcel containing drugs was registered under her name. Shortly after, she received a video call from a man impersonating a police officer, who threatened to digitally arrest her unless she paid a fine immediately. Fearing arrest, Rizwana transferred Rs 1.16 lakh to the scammers.
Realizing she had been scammed, Rizwana later approached the Triplicane police station to report the incident. The police began an investigation, which led to the arrest of T Venkatesh (42) from Kumbakonam and A Mohammed Yunus (37) from Medavakkam.
During their investigation, authorities discovered that Venkatesh ran a manpower agency with an associate, who has since fled to Cambodia. The associate allegedly coordinated these fraudulent operations from abroad, impersonating officials and funneling money into Venkatesh’s account.
Further probing revealed that Venkatesh and Yunus had even developed a mobile app to facilitate their fraudulent activities. The prime suspect in the case, who is currently absconding, is being actively pursued by the police. Both Venkatesh and Yunus were remanded in judicial custody following their arrests on Sunday.
Police have seized multiple mobile phones and a laptop from the accused, and investigations are ongoing to track down the remaining suspect.
