Digital arrest: Duo siphon off Rs. 59L from senior citizen in Hyderabad, held

Hyderabad: The police on Friday, December 19, arrested two people for allegedly cheating a senior citizen of Rs. 59 lakh, and were part of an inter-state gang that defrauded people to the tune of Rs. 8 crore.

On December 4, the victim, a retired employee, received calls on WhatsApp from unknown people impersonating as police and government officials. They told the elderly man that he was going to be arrested for being involved in human trafficking, overseas job fraud, and money laundering cases, and sent forged arrest warrants on the messaging portal to intimidate him, the Cyber Crime Police said in a press release. 

Coming under pressure, the victim transferred Rs. 59 lakh to the accused between December 4 and 6. The police arrested the two accused, Surampudi Chandrasekhar, 31, and Emandi Venkat Naveen, 25, for operating an organised ‘digital arrest’ scam. 

The statement added that the accused forced the victim to transfer money to multiple bank accounts and used malicious APK files to gain access to internet banking and SMS services. The duo also routed funds through shell accounts and converted them into cryptocurrency. They later withdrew the money into their personal accounts.

The accused are part of an interstate gang, and are involved in 65 cyber fraud cases nationwide, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. In Telangana, they were involved in five cases. They have defrauded people to the tune of Rs. 8 crore, they said.

The other accused are absconding, the Cyber Crime Police said, adding that the arrested duo has been remanded to judicial custody.

The Cyber Crime Police also warned citizens to remain vigilant and not fall for such scams. They said there is no concept of  ‘digital arrest’ and no government or law enforcement agencies demand money over phone or video calls. They also advised not to download APK files or click suspicious links sent via SMS/WhatsApp.