Mastermind of digital arrest scam who duped 75-yr-old held
The accused, Sunny Kumar Sharma, is believed to be the mastermind of an inter-state cybercrime gang that defrauded people across multiple cities using similar tactics.
The scam unfolded on May 23 when the victim received a phone call from a person posing as a Mumbai Police officer. The caller accused the man of involvement in a money laundering case, claiming that a mobile number purchased in his name was used to launder Rs 2.80 crore.
He was told an arrest warrant was issued against him.
To make the claim appear authentic, the fraudsters arranged a video call on WhatsApp with a fake CBI officer named Rohit Kumar Gupta and showed a fabricated courtroom scene in which a person dressed as a judge appeared to issue an arrest order. Frightened and confused, the victim transferred Rs 23.56 lakh from his savings to a bank account provided by the scammers on May 26.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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After the complaint was filed, cyber crime SP Shantanu Kumar and deputy SP Neeraj Kumar Mewani began an investigation and found that on the same day, around Rs 3 crore was deposited into the bank account by various individuals and quickly siphoned off.
The first arrest was made on May 30, when police arrested Suresh Kumar Jat alias Surendra, a native of Jhunjhunu currently living in Delhi, who was found to be the main account holder.
Three of his associates—Omprakash alias Nitesh from Sriganganagar, Vanshul alias Aryan alias Praveen from Churu, and Bhupesh Fagedia from Jhunjhunu—were also arrested from Sonipat Jail under production warrant and sent to judicial custody.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed that Sunny Kumar Sharma, a 26-year-old from Munger, Bihar, now residing in Bengaluru, was the key figure behind the operation. Acting on this information, a team led by SI Damodar and constables Manoj, Suresh, and Kishan arrested Sunny Kumar from Bengaluru.
Police said initial findings suggest the gang committed similar frauds in cities like Chandigarh, Sonipat, Rohini, Patna, and Bengaluru
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