Rajasthan resident held in Rs 18L fraud case

The Solan police arrested a 21-year-old youth, Anil Chaudhary, from Beawar district in Rajasthan yesterday in connection with a digital fraud case where a Parwanoo resident was duped of Rs 18.65 lakh. With this arrest, the total number of individuals apprehended in the case has risen to four, as three others were arrested earlier this month.

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According to the police, the bank accounts and mobile phones of the three previously arrested accused were thoroughly analysed, leading to the identification of Chaudhary. During the investigation, it was revealed that the complainant, under pressure from the accused, had transferred Rs 99,000 from his HDFC Bank account to Chaudhary’s Canara Bank account on October 12. Chaudhary later withdrew the amount via an ATM on the same day.

The account from which the money was withdrawn belonged to Chaudhary, a resident of Laxmi Colony, Old Masuda Road, Beawar, Rajasthan. He was produced in court yesterday and has been remanded to police custody. Authorities are also investigating his potential involvement in other criminal activities.

Earlier, three suspects — Vinay Paliwal (26), Rahul Taylor (26), and Lokesh Khatik (33), all residents of Udaipur in Rajasthan — were apprehended on December 13 after Solan police secured their transit remand from Udaipur.

The case originated from a complaint lodged on October 8 by a Mumbai resident currently living in Sector 3, Parwanoo. The complainant reported receiving a call from an individual posing as Ajit Rao from DHL courier service, who alleged that the complainant’s Aadhaar card had been misused to send a parcel to China containing illegal drugs. Rao then connected the complainant to another individual, Vinay Kumar, impersonating a CBI officer.

Kumar falsely accused the complainant of being linked to a Rs 538 crore money laundering case involving a Canara Bank manager and one Naresh Goyal. Under the guise of conducting an investigation, Kumar pressured the complainant to transfer Rs 18.65 lakh in instalments to his account and provide payment receipts.

The complainant was kept under “digital arrest” for nearly two weeks, monitored via WhatsApp video calls, and forced to share details of his daily activities. The investigation continues as police probe deeper into the case to identify other potential accomplices and recover the defrauded amount.