The Cyber Crime Cell of Chandigarh has arrested three accused allegedly involved in a digital fraud case of Rs 2.5 crore. According to the police, the arrests were made in connection with an FIR, which was registered on June 1, under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
The victim, Sumit Kaur of Sector 10A, Chandigarh, was targeted on May 3, through a sophisticated scam, police said. She received a phone call allegedly from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), warning of misuse of her SIM card and an FIR against her. The caller was followed by WhatsApp video calls from individuals impersonating senior law enforcement officials, including a DIG CBI and even a justice of the Supreme Court.
Using forged arrest warrants and high-pressure tactics, the scammers coerced Kaur into transferring her life savings — amounting to Rs 2.5 crores — into various fraudulently operated bank accounts for verification to clear her name, police said.
A comprehensive investigation involving digital forensics, mobile CDR analysis, KYC scrutiny, and IP tracking led police teams to multiple states. Police said that the raids were conducted at Hathras and Agra (UP) on June 6, leading to the arrests of Dharmendra Singh (28) and Ram Kisan Singh alias Ramu (36). Both had knowingly opened and rented out bank accounts used in the scam, said Police.
The police team also conducted a raid at Budhanpur, Saharanpur (UP) on June 8, resulting in the arrest of Sakib (24), who confessed to opening a shell firm and account, allowing his brother-in-law and others to use them in exchange for a 10 percent cut from fraudulent transactions. During the interrogation, all accused admitted to their roles in the scam and revealed the involvement of more suspects, a police official said.
Police custody has been obtained for further questioning and investigation. DSP (Cyber Cell) A Venkatesh said the cybercrime team is actively working to identify and apprehend other members of the network.
