Hyderabad police bust cyber fraud worth Rs 34 lakh; two arrested

The victim received a phone call from the accused posing as law enforcement officials who told him that his parcel containing illegal items had been seized at Mumbai Airport.

Hyderabad: Two persons accused of cyber fraud worth Rs 34 lakh were arrested by the Hyderabad police recently.

On September 28, the cybercrime unit received a complaint from the victim stating he had received a call from a person falsely claiming to be a representative of DHL courier Andheri West, Mumbai. The accused, posing as law enforcement officials, informed the victim that his parcel containing illegal items had been seized at Mumbai Airport.

They instructed the victim to download the Skype app for further communication. The fraudsters initiated video calls claiming to connect him with the Mumbai Cyber Cell. These video calls continued for an alarming period of eight days during which, the victim was repeatedly threatened and coerced into compliance.

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The accused demanded ransom payments under the pretext of resolving the case and avoiding legal action. The victim transferred money to an HDFC bank account as instructed. When the victim stopped responding, the accused escalated their threats, intensifying the trauma and exploiting the victim’s fear of severe consequences.

The accused were identified as Baria Sanjeevkumar Babubhai and Kali Rohitkumar Chhatrsinh Kalmi. They posed as representatives of a courier, Telecom Department, TRAI, CBI, Cyber Crime Police, Income Tax department.

The police seized two mobile phones, two sim cards, two stamps and one chequebook from the accused.