Online fraudsters dupe 82-year-old of ₹7 crore, impose three-week digital arrest

Ahmedabad (The Uttam Hindu): A major case of online fraud has come to light, in which fraudsters held an 82-year-old man digitally hostage for three weeks and defrauded him of ₹7.12 crore. The Ahmedabad Cyber ​​Crime Branch has arrested 12 accused in this case, who are believed to be linked to an international cyber gang operating from Cambodia. The gang was run by Chinese-origin fraudsters.

The scam began on December 4th, when the elderly man received a call from an unknown number. The caller, claiming to be an official from TRAI, claimed that pornographic videos had been sent to some celebrities using his Aadhaar card and that a complaint had been filed with the Mumbai Crime Branch. Subsequently, various individuals, posing as Mumbai Crime Branch officials, contacted him via video call.

Beware! An 82-year-old man was duped online of ₹7 crore and placed under digital arrest for three weeks: To scare the elderly man, the fraudsters showed him documents of alleged suspicious transactions worth Rs 2 crore and said that his name was linked to Naresh Goyal in a money laundering case. After this, through WhatsApp video call, he was shown a fake online court where a person appeared in the role of a judge. The elderly man was told to remain on call continuously and was under digital arrest.

The fraudsters sent fake notices, letters, and warrants bearing the logos of the CBI, RBI, ED, and Interpol, threatening imprisonment and defamation. Between December 16th and 26th, they obtained complete information about the elderly man's bank accounts, properties, and demat accounts. They assured him that all the money would be returned after verification. Falling prey to this deception, the elderly man transferred a total of ₹7.12 crore to the fraudsters' accounts via RTGS and checks.

The investigation revealed that the cyber gang was operating from Cambodia and that a Chinese cyber network was behind the scam. Twelve accused, living in Ahmedabad and Surat, used their own bank accounts in exchange for commissions. Police have so far identified 238 mule (rented) bank accounts. The defrauded funds were transferred abroad via Telegram channels, converted into USDT cryptocurrency.

Police seized 16 mobile phones and cash from the accused. The elderly victim filed a complaint with the Cyber ​​Crime Branch three weeks later, but by then most of the money had already been transferred. Police were only able to freeze ₹1 million. Ahmedabad Cyber ​​Crime has registered a case and is expediting further investigations.