Eight arrested for duping Kinnaur man of Rs 17.5 lakh

The police have arrested eight individuals, including four key masterminds, for allegedly duping a resident of Kinnaur district of Rs 17.5 lakh through a digital arrest scam.

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The accused have been identified as Mehul Thakor alias Jimmy and Jignesh Vashani alias Rock, both residents of Gujarat and the main masterminds, along with Muhammad Nawaz, Revathi, Sudarshan, and Ravi Kumar from Telangana, and Aanand and Shintu Kumar Mishra from Bihar.

According to the complaint, on November 18, 2024, a resident of Skiba village in Kinnaur district received a WhatsApp call from fraudsters posing as police officers. They allegedly threatened to arrest him digitally if he did not transfer Rs 17.5 lakh.

A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 318(4) (fraudulent inducement), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation), and 61 (2) (criminal conspiracies) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.

The police have also sealed all bank accounts linked to the accused that were used for fraudulent transactions. 

Superintendent of Police (SP) Kinnaur Abhishek S confirmed the arrests. The accused were presented before a court in Rampur, which remanded them to police custody for further investigation, he said.