80-yr-old man loses Rs 42.49L in digital arrest scam; 3 held

Three men have been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with a ‘digital arrest’ scam in which a retired government official (80) lost his life savings of Rs 42.49 lakh, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Mahendra Kumar Vaishnav (37), Vishal Kumar (25) and Shyam Das (25), all residents of Rajasthan, were found to have provided their bank accounts to a cybercrime syndicate, officials added.

According to police, members of the syndicate would contact potential victims posing as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), falsely accusing them of being involved in illicit financial activities.

One such victim — whose identity has not been disclosed — was allegedly convinced of the bogus charges and ultimately defrauded of Rs 42.49 lakh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam said in a statement.

During the investigation, police traced eight bank accounts believed to be the first layer in the money laundering process. A significant portion of the scammed funds was found to have been transferred into an account operated in the name of Mahendra Kumar Vaishnav.

Further probe revealed Mahendra and his co-accused had either sold or rented out their bank accounts to the syndicate in exchange for a fee.

“They were paid around Rs 10,000 per account per month to facilitate financial transactions for the gang,” Gautam said.

The trio allegedly handed over cheque books, ATM cards, SIM cards and internet banking credentials to their handlers, allowing the syndicate to move the funds across various locations in India and avoid detection.

Police said the investigation is ongoing to identify other individuals linked to the racket.