Elderly woman duped of Rs 49L in digital arrest fraud

The Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch has busted a major digital arrest fraud syndicate with the arrest of six persons. The accused allegedly kept a 71-year-old woman under digital arrest for 24 hours and duped her of Rs 49 lakh.

Those arrested include Mohammad Ovais (25), Vishal Tiwari (19), Shakeel Ahmad (53), Mohammad Ahad (25), Mohammad Atif (25) and Mohd Ujjaib (25), all residents of Lucknow, UP.

The accused impersonated police and government officials. They used psychological intimidation to convince the elderly woman that she was involved in a criminal case, forcing her to transfer money into multiple bank accounts controlled by the syndicate.

Acting on her complaint, the Cyber Cell launched coordinated raids across Aminabad, Hasanganj, Madey Ganj and Sadar Cantt in Lucknow, arresting six key operatives.

Investigators found that the syndicate regularly used fear tactics, video calls and impersonation to trap victims, while poor and unemployed youths were recruited to operate mule accounts used for laundering the stolen funds.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam said multiple complaints against the syndicate had been reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Efforts were on to trace other members and recover the defrauded money.