HYDERABAD: A 33-year-old man was arrested by Hyderabad police in connection with a digital arrest fraud case, in which a city-based doctor was duped of `1.23 crore through multiple transactions.
The accused, identified as Ramprasad Sahebrao Salunke, acted as an account supplier and was involved in threatening the victim under the guise of a drug-related investigation. Police said Salunke has a criminal history, with four cases registered in Telangana and 22 cases across India.
The incident began on October 29, 2024, when a 45-year-old doctor from Hyderabad received a call claiming to be from the Indian Post Office. The caller alleged that a suspicious parcel in his name had been intercepted, containing 14 police uniforms, 14 police ID cards, bank debit cards, and ketamine injections — a narcotic drug.
When the doctor denied any involvement and threatened to report the call, he was connected via conference call to fake police officials. The scammers later made a video call, during which individuals impersonating police officers threatened him with arrest. Over the next several days, they coerced him into transferring money under the pretext of financial verification, resulting in a total loss of `1.23 crore.
Investigations revealed that Salunke played a key role in facilitating the fraud by providing bank accounts for the transactions.