Hyderabad retired man duped of Rs 29L in digital arrest fraud

Using forged official documents and claiming the victim's identity details and fingerprints were misused, the fraudsters coerced him into transferring Rs 29,17,668 under the guise of verification and national security secrecy.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cybercrime police have arrested two individuals on Saturday, October 17, for allegedly carrying out a digital arrest fraud and duping a retired employee of Rs 29.17 lakh.

According to the 63-year-old complainant, fraudsters impersonating the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Delhi Police officials threatened him with arrest over a fictitious Rs 68 million money laundering case, officials said.

Using forged official documents and claiming his identity details and fingerprints were misused, they coerced the victim and his daughter into transferring Rs 29,17,668 under the guise of verification and national security secrecy.

Following a police complaint, Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police arrested two accused, Mohd Ashfaq Hussain and Ahmed Najeeb Uddin, both aged 27, in Ameerpet.

The accused and their modus operandi

Investigation revealed that the duo worked with an absconding accomplice, Sachin from Bengaluru, to route money through multiple bank accounts using Cash Deposit Machines (CDMs) and USDT cryptocurrency transactions to hide the trail.

The accused, Mohd Ashfaq Hussain, Ahmed Najeeb Uddin, and Sachin, arranged mule bank accounts to receive, withdraw, and deposit fraudulently obtained funds across various accounts to conceal the money trail, cybercrime police said. They also allegedly coordinated with cyber fraudsters to facilitate USDT transactions, earning commissions for their involvement.

Police seized two iPhones during the arrest, linked the syndicate to 16 similar cases across India, and produced the accused in court while tracking down the remaining suspect.

The case has been registered under Sections 66(C) (Stealing and using someone else’s digital signatures, passwords, biometric data) and 66(D) (Using any communication device or computer resource to cheat someone by pretending to be another person) of the IT Act.

The other Sections under which the case is registered are 111(2)(b) (organised crime in cases where the crime does not result in the death of any person), 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), 319(2) (punishment for the criminal offence of cheating by personation), 336(3) (forgery committed for cheating), 338 (forgery of a valuable security, a will, or other highly important financial/legal documents), and 340(2) (fraudulently or dishonestly using a forged document or electronic record as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).