Delhi Police Arrests Three in Rs 1.16 Crore 'Digital Arrest' Scam Targeting Elderly Woman

Further investigation continues, according to officials. (Representational)

New Delhi:

Delhi Police have apprehended three alleged members of a cyber fraud operation who deceived an 82-year-old woman out of Rs 1.16 crore by subjecting her to digital arrest and compelling her to transfer funds, as reported by an official on Friday.

The victim, a resident of south Delhi, was the widow of a government employee and has a daughter residing overseas.

"The perpetrators, posing as law enforcement officials, intimidated her on April 25 by displaying a counterfeit arrest order during a video call. Under intense psychological pressure and threats of legal consequences, the elderly woman was forced to visit her bank and transfer a total sum of Rs 1.16 crore through RTGS," explained Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam.

During their investigation, authorities discovered that approximately Rs 1.10 crore of the stolen funds were deposited into a current account belonging to a Himachal Pradesh-based NGO. However, this account was allegedly being controlled by fraudsters operating from Patna in Bihar.

Police reported that 32 complaints have been filed against the same bank account on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), involving fraudulent activities totaling approximately Rs 24 crore.

Following technical analysis and examination of the financial trail, multiple raids were conducted across Himachal Pradesh and Bihar, resulting in the arrest of three suspects.

The arrested individuals include Prabhakar Kumar (27) from Nalanda district in Bihar, Rupesh Kumar Singh (37) from Bihar's Vaishali district, and Dev Raj (46) from Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh.

Of the total amount defrauded, Rs 17 lakh has been frozen and returned to the victim, while efforts continue to recover the remaining funds.

According to police, Prabhakar Kumar installed malicious software on co-accused Dev Raj's mobile phone, enabling the activation of SIM cards connected to fraudulent bank accounts.

He allegedly maintained constant contact with cyber criminals through internet-based virtual numbers, received cash commissions, distributed proceeds among associates, and earned a substantial share for his involvement.

Rupesh Kumar Singh allegedly obtained the bank account kit through postal delivery and coordinated meetings of co-conspirators in Patna.

Police stated that he facilitated fraudulent transactions from a hotel, acted as a key intermediary between the account holder and the criminals, and received a substantial commission.

Dev Raj, who operates an NGO in Himachal Pradesh, allegedly opened a current account in the organization's name in collusion with his father Ved Prakash, the authorized signatory. For financial gain, they provided the account to Rupesh Kumar in Bihar.

Dev Raj allegedly shared internet banking credentials and OTPs, traveled to Patna to execute transactions, and received commission from the fraudulent proceeds.

According to police, the accused impersonated law enforcement personnel, placed the victim under "digital arrest," channeled the stolen money through NGO and personal bank accounts, misused internet banking credentials and OTPs, and laundered the funds before distributing them as commission.

Further investigation is ongoing to identify additional syndicate members and trace more proceeds from the crime.