Chandigarh: Two arrested for duping retired Major General of ₹83 lakh through ‘digital arrest’ scam

A resident of Sector 20, Panchkula, Puri had informed police that the callers had connected him to cops at Delhi Police’s cyber cell and even an official from the Central Bureau of Investigation

Cracking a “digital arrest” case, where an 85-year-old retired Major General was duped of ₹83 lakh through an elaborate scam two weeks ago, police have arrested two fraudsters from Punjab.

Posing as cops, the fraudsters told the retired army officer that he was under “digital arrest” for two days and would need to deposit ₹83 lakh, which will be returned if found not to be stolen. (iStock)

Identified as Mukesh Kumar Singla of Muktsar and Suman Rani of Tilak Nagar, Ludhiana, the accused had targeted Maj Gen Prabodh Chander Puri on October 15, threatening him with “digital arrest” by claiming that a “phone number in his name was being used in Delhi’s Connaught Place to threaten people”.

A resident of Sector 20, Panchkula, Puri had informed police that the callers had connected him to cops at Delhi Police’s cyber cell and even an official from the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The cops had claimed that he was under “digital arrest” for two days and would need to deposit ₹83 lakh, which will be returned if found not to be stolen. Believing them, he transferred the money, only to realise that he had fallen prey to a scam.

On Puri’s complaint, a case was registered at the cyber crime police station and a probe was launched.

“The accused were arrested after they withdrew a large amount of the money they stole from Puri from an ATM in Punjab,” said assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Manpreet Singh Sudan.

Giving further details, Sudan said the duo used 77 bank accounts to move the stolen money. The accounts are also being referenced with other cyber crimes to unearth their involvement in other fraud cases.

Sudan said the accused randomly dialled numbers to find a target. “They used a set of questions to learn about the victim and whether they can influence them into revealing their financial details,” he said, adding that police were looking into how they prepared pictures of the alleged police stations and police uniforms.

Following their arrest on Monday, Singla was sent to judicial custody by a local court, while Rani was sent to two-day police remand.

Cautioning residents, the ACP said, “There is no such thing as a digital arrest as per law. Also, people must avoid answering video calls from unknown phone numbers at all costs.”