close_game
close_game

Jaipur teen caught for duping Dehradun man of 2.27 cr in digital arrest scam: Police

Jan 20, 2025 06:01 PM IST

SSP Navneet Singh said the suspect was arrested from Jaipur in connection with a September 2024 case in which a retired teacher lost ₹2,27 crore

DEHRADUN: A 19-year-old who lived in a hostel in Jaipur has been arrested for pulling off a ‘digital arrest’ scam that allegedly duped a retired teacher in Dehradun into transferring 2.27 crore into bank accounts set up by him, police said on Monday.

Neeraj Bhatt was arrested on Saturday by the Uttarakhand police (X/UKCyberPolice)
Neeraj Bhatt was arrested on Saturday by the Uttarakhand police (X/UKCyberPolice)

Police said the suspect, Neeraj Bhatt, lived at Agarwal Boys Hostel near Landscape Park in Jaipur, was arrested on January 18 and brought to Uttarakhand’s Dehradun. Police said the suspect may be involved in cases in Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh as well.

In digital arrest cases, fraudsters pose online as law enforcement officials, tell people that they are being arrested on cooked up charges, and get them to temporarily transfer huge amounts of money, ostensibly to validate their accounts.

Senior superintendent of police of the special task force (STF) Navneet Singh said the case was taken up by the cyber police station following a complaint by the victim, Mahipal Singh, a 63-year-old retired teacher in Dehradun that he lost his life savings in the fraud.

“We constituted a special team to solve the case and nab the accused. Our team obtained data by corresponding with banks, mobile service providers and tech giants such as Meta and Google. On analyzing the technical evidence, we identified the accused involved in fraud. We conducted raids at possible locations to nab him. With continued efforts, we arrested the accused from Jaipur on Saturday,” Singh said.

The police officer added that the team had also seized a mobile phone from the suspect which had received an SMS alert from the bank account used to receive funds in the crime. “It has come to light during the investigation that complaints have been registered against the same bank account in Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra,” he said.

According to the complaint filed by Mahipal Singh, the online fraudster kept him under digital arrest for nine days from September 9 to 17 by the accused posing as law enforcement personnel. It started with a phone call on September 9; the caller identified himself as Mumbai police sub inspector Vinay Kumar Choubey.

“He told me that I have committed a crime using my Aadhaar card and mobile number… He then hung up the call and made a video call on WhatsApp. I could see a man in the police uniform. He told me that a bank account was opened using my Aadhaar and mobile number in which a transaction of 20 lakh related to money laundering has taken place,” he said in the first information report (FIR) registered on September 27.

The retired teacher was told that an arrest warrant had been issued, he would be arrested within 24 hours and that he would be jailed if he even mentioned this information with anyone. As the 63-year-old man pleaded with him, the fraudster told him he would speak with his superior officer which would take time but instructed him to keep sending a message every three hours.

“They used to keep a watch on my activities on WhatsApp for the whole day. They also asked me not to travel anywhere. The next day, I got a call from Choubey on WhatsApp who shared a number with me claiming that to be of his senior Akash Kulhari. He asked me to talk to him on WhatsApp. When I called on the given number, he (Kulhari) asked me to follow his instructions. He shared some court documents and notices. They appeared to be real. He told me that I will be investigated for money laundering as a suspect,” Singh said in his complaint.

“He then took details of all my bank accounts. They continued to send me documents to scare me. I got scared and followed their instructions. I transferred 33 lakh from my PNB bank account to an SBI account number on September 11. The next day, I transferred 86 lakh from my other account number. 52 lakh, and 24 lakh in two different transactions on September 13, 32 lakh on September 17. They said my bank accounts are being monitored to check illegal transactions...if any transaction is found to be illegal, my house will be auctioned. They then asked me to send 20 lakh more claiming that all my money would be returned after deduction of court fees. As they continued to demand, I realized that it was a scam. In total, they duped me of 2,27,22,717 by posing as Mumbai police officials,” the complainant was quoted as saying in the FIR.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
See More
Get Current Updates on India News, Weather Today, Latest News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, February 14, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On