The investigation, which took nearly a year and spanned across several states, including Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi began after the manager of the Japanese firm filed a complaint in May 2024
-1748088462382_d.png "Japanese firm manager falls prey to 'digital arrest', loses Rs 31 lakh; four arrested")
During a Skype call, the scammers made the complainant transfer Rs 30.85 lakh into fake RBI accounts. Representational pic
Delhi Police have arrested four online fraudsters for allegedly duping a Japanese company manager of over Rs 31 lakh, officials said on Saturday.
The investigation, which took nearly a year and spanned across several states, including Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Delhi began after Rahul Iqbal, the manager of the Japanese firm, filed a complaint in May 2024.
Iqbal received a call from a person posing as a courier service representative. The caller alleged that a parcel sent by Iqbal to Taiwan contained illegal items such as passports and drugs, and the complaint had been forwarded to the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch.
Shortly after, he was contacted by another individual impersonating a police officer. The caller who identified himself as Sub-Inspector Naresh Gupta Banerjee, accused Iqbal of being involved in serious crimes, including money laundering and terrorism. Iqbal was pressured to join an ‘investigation’ over Skype to avoid arrest and cut off communication with others. During the call, the scammers extracted sensitive financial and personal information and convinced him to transfer Rs 30.85 lakh into fake RBI accounts as part of a ‘verification’ process.
The case was registered at the Cyber Police Station in North East Delhi under IPC Sections 419, 420, 120B, and 109, with Sub-Inspector Anuplata Yadav leading the investigation.
Probes revealed that Rs 20.10 lakh of the scammed money was funneled into Punjab National Bank accounts opened in the name of a fictitious entity, ‘Satish Traders,’ using forged documents such as a UDYAM registration, MSME certificate, and municipal licences. The account was linked to Satish Kumar Singh, a 34-year-old from Jharkhand, who was later arrested in Delhi. Singh is believed to be a major beneficiary, allegedly receiving close to Rs 2 crore through fraudulent accounts. Following his arrest, police seized mobile phones and SIM cards used to create fake documentation, reported ANI.
Further investigation exposed an organised network that created fake current accounts to launder money gained through digital arrest scams. Three additional suspects were apprehended from Sirsa, including two fraudulent account holders and one individual responsible for sourcing these accounts.
Police have since frozen the compromised accounts, and under court directives, refunded Rs 11.5 lakh to the complainant. Authorities continue to pursue several more suspects believed to be part of the scam ring, with ongoing operations underway.
(With input from ANI)
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