Digital arrest, investment frauds cracked with arrest of three in Panchkula

The police arrested three alleged cyber fraudsters in two separate cases involving digital arrest and online investment scams.

In the first case, a fraudster posing as a Hyderabad police officer extorted Rs 5.9 lakh from a local resident in a “digital arrest” scam, while in the second, two accused duped a man of Rs 33.56 lakh by luring him into investing in a fake online stock market scheme.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP, Crime) Arvind Kamboj held a press conference and informed that on October 9, 2024, a complaint was filed by Sajjan Kumar, a resident of Panchkula, alleging that on October 3 he received a call from a man impersonating an officer of the Hyderabad police.

The caller falsely claimed that Sajjan Kumar’s credit card had been misused and that one of his acquaintances, allegedly linked to a terrorist organisation, had been arrested with his card. The fraudster then accused the complainant of involvement in money laundering.

Under the pretext of interrogation, the victim was coerced into a video call, during which the accused threatened him with arrest and extracted a total of Rs 5.9 lakh.

Acting swiftly, the Cyber Crime Police registered a case and arrested the main accused, Sonu, son of Ram Kumar, a resident of Saini Mohalla, Kharkhoda, District Sonepat, on November 7. He has been remanded to two days’ police custody for further interrogation.

Sharing details of another case, the ACP informed that complainant Mohammad Suleman of Panchkula on June 10, 2024, reported that fraudsters had duped him of Rs 33.56 lakh by luring him into investing into the stock market through a fake WhatsApp group.

The accused introduced themselves as investment consultants with an office in Mumbai and conducted online lectures through a fabricated website. When the complainant visited the given address, he discovered that the office did not exist.

Following the police investigation, the police arrested two accused — identified as Mukund Kumar (46), a resident of Sahajanand Residency, Ahmedabad, and Patel Maithali Naveen Bhai (25), a resident of Surat, Gujarat — on November 7. Both were remanded to one-day police custody for further questioning.

The police further said that efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest the remaining accused involved in both scams.