Delhi ‘digital arrest': Man sells wife's jewellery, uses up savings to pay Rs 25 lakh
On March 21, Mahender Jain, a resident of Southwest Delhi's Palam, allegedly got a video call from a man claiming to be an inspector with the Crime Branch unit of Nashik police in Maharashtra. The caller accused Jain of being involved in a money laundering scam, placed him under digital arrest and compelled him to transfer Rs 25 lakh online. Jain used all the money from his savings and fixed deposits. He allegedly sold his wife's jewellery. Then he transferred some money through an online payment gateway and sent some through his bank account.
On Monday, police said they arrested three persons — Rahul Verma, Shantanu Richoriya (26), and Arjun Singh (25) — for their alleged involvement in the fraud.
The suspects operated from hotel rooms in Delhi and worked with account holders, commonly known as 'mules', who were brought in person to facilitate transactions, an official said.
'The caller informed Jain that his Aadhaar Card details had been misused to open fraudulent bank accounts. He alleged it was being used for money laundering by the owner of a big airline company. The caller then threatened police action against Jain and said his assets had to be verified,' DCP Surendra Chaudhary said.
Police traced the bank accounts to which the money was transferred. These were being operated from a hotel in Paharganj. A raid was conducted, and the three accused were arrested.
'During questioning, it was found that Rahul Verma initially supplied his bank account to other accused but later became an active part of the syndicate,' a senior police officer said.
'The accused used to facilitate and handle the mule account holders in Delhi and contacted international operators through WhatsApp to hoodwink law-enforcement agencies and further transferred duped money in those accounts,' DCP Chaudhary said.
So far, seven to eight mule accounts have been identified as part of the network, officials said, adding that three mobile phones, four SIM cards, three cheque books, and four passbooks linked to seven different banks were recovered from them.
Digital arrest is a tactic where the accused pose as police or law enforcement agency officials, like CBI or customs officials, and threaten people with arrest.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
19 minutes ago
- Economic Times
How fake meat export deal cost Delhi NRI more than $81,000, and the suspect vanished without a trace
A Delhi businessman has been allegedly defrauded of Rs 1.3 crore by an individual posing as a successful meat exporter. The suspect, after gaining trust through fabricated documents, convinced the victim to invest heavily, promising high returns. The suspect later disappeared, prompting a police investigation into the elaborate scheme. The crime branch is currently investigating the case. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How it began Investment and false promises Suspect goes missing Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Police action A businessman from East Delhi has alleged that he was cheated out of Rs 1.3 crore by a man who pretended to be a successful meat exporter. The Delhi Police crime branch has now launched an investigation into the complainant, a Non-Resident Indian ( NRI ) currently living in east Delhi, told police he met the suspect in June 2023 through a mutual friend. The man claimed to be running a profitable meat export business and showed fake documents to support his claims. Convinced by the fake paperwork, the businessman agreed to support the venture.A few weeks later, the suspect convinced the complainant to invest money, promising high returns by January 2025. Trusting him, the businessman invested large sums, including his father's life savings. The payments, totalling Rs 67.7 lakh, were made via cheques to an account belonging to someone introduced as the suspect's business October and November 2024, the suspect claimed he needed an additional $80,000 (around Rs 69.3 lakh) to handle a shipment issue in Dubai. This money was arranged through the help of a friend in the UAE and handed over to one of the suspect's contacts January 2025, a WhatsApp chat showed the suspect admitting to owing money. But when the complainant began asking for repayment, the suspect avoided contact. He eventually switched off his phone, changed his number, and even vacated the place where he had been living with the the businessman contacted the so-called manager, he was shocked to learn that the person was not part of any business partnership. He revealed that the suspect had asked him to transfer all the funds to his personal account, and the money was never used for any export on the complaint and initial findings, police found enough evidence to file a formal case of cheating. A detailed investigation is now from agencies
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Sonam Made Raja Wear Rs 10 Lakh Gold For Honeymoon": Murdered Man's Mother
New Delhi: Sonam Raghuvanshi had made all the bookings, including travel and stay, for their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya - but did not book a return ticket, the murdered Indore-based businessman's mother said on Monday. According to Uma Raghuvanshi, Sonam may have also extended their trip to Shillong. However, Sonam did not provide any details of the trip to either of the families. "Sonam booked the tickets for the trip, and she may have extended the trip to Shillong, as my son did not know about the region. Her mother told that they visited Shillong last year," the victim's mother said. Honeymoon murder live updates Officials said that the couple had left for their trip to the Northeastern state wearing all their gold jewellery. While Sonam went to the airport directly from her parents' house, Raja left his house wearing gold jewellery worth more than Rs 10 lakh, which included a diamond ring, a chain, and a bracelet. When Raja's mother questioned him, he told her that Sonam wanted him to wear it. "If Sonam is involved in the murder, then she should be hanged. The police did not even tell in the morning that Sonam had been found. A CBI investigation should take place. If Sonam has not done anything, why would she be accused? Sonam had good behaviour, she used to hug me," Ms Uma said. She also questioned if Sonam had loved her son, why would she leave him to die. "How is she safe? All people behind this should be strictly punished," she said. Raja and Sonam, who got married on May 11, were visiting Cherrapunjee in the East Khasi Hills for their honeymoon when they went missing on May 23. The couple arrived in Nongriat a day earlier and were last spotted checking out of Balaji Homestay. A scooter that they had rented was found abandoned at Sohrarim a day after they went missing. Ten days later, Raja's body was found inside a deep gorge below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang. A machete suspected to have been used to murder him was also recovered. On Saturday night, officials found Sonam in an unconscious state at a 'dhaba' in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur. She was taken to the Ghazipur Medical College for treatment, where she surrendered before the police and was subsequently arrested. The police have claimed that the victim's wife had an extramarital affair that allegedly drove her to hire contract killers to eliminate her husband. She orchestrated the murder in connivance with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, and surrendered under pressure, they said. Preliminary investigation also revealed that Sonam used to talk to Raju Kushwaha often. Officials also found CCTVs in which three to four people from Madhya Pradesh were identified - who were the contract killers.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Indore Couple's Wedding Video Emerges, A Gold Rush, Then Murder In Hills
Indore: Hours after a newly married Indore woman surrendered before the police after allegedly getting her husband killed, a video of their wedding has emerged, showing a cheerful Raja Raghuvanshi applying sindoor on the forehead of Sonam, dressed in a red Banarasi saree. Curiosity has been at peak over the honeymoon murder and the couple whose married life was cut short by an unplanned trip to Meghalaya, and an extramarital affair angle that cops claim was behind the gruesome killing in the hills. After Raja's murder and Sonam's surrender, the circumstances that followed her wedding appear to point to something eerie, if not criminal. Raja and Sonam were married on May 11, and by May 20, they had set out for their honeymoon. While the former's body was found in a gorge on June 2, the latter is now in custody. The police have claimed that Raja was hacked to death with a machete. Raja's brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, has claimed the couple's initial plan was to visit the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati to seek blessings, but a sudden change in plan landed them in Shillong. The bookings were done by Sonam Raghuvanshi, but her family was not aware of the plan. Sonam left for the airport from her paternal home, wearing her wedding jewellery. Her husband, too, had jewellery on him that included a diamond ring, chain, and bracelet worth over Rs 10 lakh. Officials suggest that her mother-in-law had questioned the need for carrying so much gold on a honeymoon. Raja and Sonam's sudden trip to Shillong raised eyebrows, but it wasn't the first time for the latter. Sonam's family had visited Shillong before, her mother had told her in-laws. Heavy bank transactions by Sonam have also emerged in the murder probe, in which a financial angle could provide a fresh motive, while the extramarital affair angle gathers curiosity. Indore police officials suggest Sonam had shared their location with the alleged killers and confirmed that she used to have long conversations with Raj Kushwaha, with whom she had an affair. A relative of the victim claimed Raj worked for Sonam and that they spoke a lot over the phone. The Indore Police probe now hinges on the couple's call records and Sonam's questioning, while Meghalaya Police investigation has focused on the CCTV footage. Based on the footage, a total of five persons were arrested. Sonam was arrested in Ghazipur after she tried to contact her family from a dhaba in Nandganj, while Akash Rajput, 19, was rounded up from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. Raj Kushwaha, 21, Vikash Singh Chauhan, 20, and Anand Kurmi were arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Indore and Sagar districts. Officials suggest it was Anand who first attacked Raja and that Sonam had planned to make it look like an accident.
