Mumbai: A 28-year-old man named Vikas Sambhaji Chavan, a resident of Sangli district in Maharashtra, has been arrested by Mumbai Police for his alleged role in a Rs15 lakh digital arrest scam, officials confirmed on Friday.
Chavan’s bank account was used to transfer Rs5 lakh, part of the amount fraudulently obtained from a victim who was duped between April 14 and 16 by cybercriminals impersonating high-ranking Delhi Police officials.
The victim had received a call from an unknown number, claiming to be from the Delhi Police headquarters. He was told there were discrepancies in his bank account. The scammers then escalated the situation with a video call, where two individuals posed as SP Gopesh Kumar and DySP Bhupesh Kumar, alleging the victim was involved in money laundering and linked to two criminal cases in Mumbai.
To make the scam more convincing, the fraudsters used a fake CBI letterhead and threatened the victim with arrest unless he paid Rs15 lakh for a so-called “verification process.” Fearing legal consequences, the victim complied and transferred the money into accounts provided by the conmen.
Later, after realizing it was a scam, he lodged a complaint at the Central Cyber Police Station in Mumbai. During the investigation, officials traced Rs5 lakh to Chavan’s account in a public sector bank. The money was quickly withdrawn via cheque, raising further suspicions.
Authorities revealed that Chavan’s account has previously been linked to similar scams in Mumbai and Rajasthan. He was produced before a local court and has been remanded to police custody until October 13.
Digital arrest scams typically involve criminals impersonating law enforcement officials to intimidate victims into transferring large sums of money under the threat of arrest or legal action.
