HYDERABAD: Two youngsters were apprehended by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) in Bengaluru for their alleged involvement in a digital arrest scam that cheated a victim of Rs 10.61 crore. The accused, identified as Vinay Kumar S Khadke (23) and Maruthi GH (28), are being brought to Hyderabad for further investigation, the police said.
The accused are joint holders of a current account in a bank that was registered under the name of Tinkan Technologies Pvt Ltd. The victim was made to transfer Rs 4.62 crore to the account, the police said, adding that the accused opened the account based on the instructions of a third person. Efforts are on to identify the entire network, the police said.
In this case, the scammers duped a Hyderabad resident by posing as officials from the Mumbai police. They claimed that a bank account was opened using his Aadhaar and PAN card details and the account was linked to money laundering activities.
“The fraudsters even sent fake letters from the Directorate of Enforcement and Income Tax Department, demanding the victim’s financial details, including properties, deposits, shares, salary and more,” TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said in a press release.
Further, the cyber fraudsters threatened the victim that he would face jail time of three to seven years if he did not cooperate with the investigation. Then, they allegedly coerced the victim into attending video calls and made him transfer a total of Rs 10.61 crore into the accounts operated by the fraudsters.
The TGCSB urged the public to remain vigilant and safeguard their personal and financial information from unknown individuals or unverified sources. “No legitimate police investigation will be conducted solely over the phone or online,” Goel said.
Report cyber frauds to cops promptly
As soon as you realise you have become a victim of cyber fraud, dial the helpline number 1930 or log on to the national cybercrime portal cybercrime.gov.in to register the complaint, advise cybercrime police. Reporting cases immediately helps in retrieving at least part of the money or putting on hold the lost money, the cops said. Recently, the Hyderabad cybercrime police facilitated the refund of Rs 21.55 lakh to victims of cyber fraud in two separate cases. In both instances, law enforcement officials sent notices to bank representatives, facilitating the freezing of stolen funds in the affected bank accounts.