Eight arrested for duping Kinnaur man of Rs 17.50L
As many as eight persons, including the main kingpin, have been arrested by the police from Telangana, Bihar, and Gujarat for duping a person of Rs 17.50 lakh through a digital arrest scam.
The accused have been identified as Mehul Thakor, alias Jimmy, and Jignesh Vashani, alias Rock, residents of Gujarat and the main kingpins, Muhammad Nawaz, Revathi, Sudarshan, and Ravi Kumar, all residents of Telangana, Aanand and Shintu Kumar Mishra, residents of Bihar.
On November 18, 2024, a resident of Skiba village in Kinnaur district was duped of Rs 17.5 lakh by the fraudsters who posed as police officers in a WhatsApp call and threatened to digitally arrest him. Later, the victim approached the police and a case was registered against unknown persons under relevant sections.
In December, a team consisting of Kinnaur district cyber cell personnel and from the Moorang police station was constituted to investigate the case. During the investigation, the police found that the fraudsters were based in Telangana and Bihar. A police team was sent to these states, and four accused — Muhammad Nawaz, Revathi, Sudarshan, and Ravi Kumar — were nabbed from Telangana. Two other accused, Aanand and Shintu Kumar Mishra, were arrested from Bihar.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that they were in contact with the main accused via WhatsApp and Telegram. Further investigation led the police to Gujarat, where the main kingpins, Mehul Thakor, alias Jimmy and Jignesh Vashani, alias Rock, were arrested and brought to Kinnaur.
During investigation, the police recovered Rs 6.40 lakh from the accused and froze their bank accounts. Superintendent of Police (SP) Kinnaur Abhishek S confirmed the report and said that the accused were presented in a court in Rampur from where they were sent on a police remand.
