Three caught in ₹25L ‘Digital Arrest’ scam

NEW DELHI: Three cyber thugs have been arrested for duping a Delhi resident of Rs 25 lakh by putting him under ‘digital arrest’, police said on Monday.

Rahul Verma, Shantanu Richoriya (26), and Arjun Singh (25), were arrested from a hotel in the Paharganj area of the national capital, they said.

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. “Mahender Jain filed a complaint stating that he was conned into transferring Rs 25 lakh by a man who posed as a crime branch officer from the Nashik police,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary said.

On March 21, Jain received a video call during which the caller claimed that his Aadhaar Card details had been misused to open fraudulent bank accounts and were linked to money laundering by a major airline company, he added.

The officer said that the caller allegedly showed Jain a photocopy of a bank card and coerced him into transferring his savings, selling his wife’s jewellery, and making further payments through online gateway and RTGS.

The fraudster threatened Jain of police action if he failed to comply, he said.

A probe was launched after registering a case under relevant sections of the BNS and the accused were traced, the officer said.

Police said Rahul Verma initially offered his bank account to the gang but later joined the syndicate. The accused used mule accounts, fake identities, and social media to defraud victims. Multiple bank documents and SIM cards were seized. Further investigation into the digital arrest scam continues.