HYDERABAD: Cybercrime police on Saturday arrested three persons for allegedly being involved in a sophisticated cyber extortion scam amounting to Rs 8.38 lakh. The fraudsters defrauded a woman by impersonating police officers and extorted significant amounts of money from her, the police said.
The arrested, Aman Joshi, Prashanth and Rohit Sharma, are all residents of Hyderabad.
On August 22, 2024, the police received a complaint from the victim who was reportedly targeted by Aman whom she met via Snapchat App, the police said.
Over time, he borrowed Rs 15,000 from her but failed to repay. Following this, fake police personnel contacted and falsely accused her of possessing illegal gold. The accused threatened the victim with arrest, demanding Rs 1.60 lakh for bail, which was later increased to Rs 2 lakh. The extortion continued, and the victim, emotionally distressed, attempted suicide. She ultimately suffered a financial loss totalling Rs 48.38 lakh.
The police said Prashanth managed financial operations like receiving funds and assisting in withdrawals. Rohit supported logistics, coordinated with the fake police and facilitated fund transfers. The accused used multiple bank accounts to launder the extorted money and pawned gold to secure further cash.