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Digital Arrest Case: The cyber police arrested a cyber fraudster from Haryana who cheated a retired paramilitary officer from Betalghat, Nainital, of Rs 60 lakh by falsely claiming that his account had been involved in a Rs 68 crore money laundering transaction and then digitally arresting him. He has been produced in court and sent to jail.

SSP STF Navneet Singh Bhullar said that Khim Singh, a resident of Betalghat, Nainital, and a retired paramilitary officer, had registered a First Information Report (FIR) in July 2025, stating that unknown individuals had called him posing as officials from the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Department/CBI and informed him that a transaction of Rs 68 crore related to money laundering had taken place in his account.

Ex-Paramilitary Official Kept Under Digital Arrest For 16-Day

They “digitally arrested” him via WhatsApp video call to verify all his bank accounts and property, and over 16 days, they fraudulently obtained Rs 60 lakh from him through online transfers to various accounts.

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The cyber police registered an FIR in the case and started an investigation. The investigation was handed over to Cyber Police Station In-charge Rudrapur, Arun Kumar. During the investigation, the cyber police obtained data from the concerned banks, service provider companies, and Meta company regarding the bank accounts, registered mobile numbers, and WhatsApp used in the incident. Analysing the data, the team verified the bank accounts and mobile numbers that came to light.

Based on technical and digital evidence, Kamal Singh, son of Mahendra Singh, a resident of village Goha Rajiawas Jewaja, Ajmer, Rajasthan, was identified. SSP STF Navneet Singh Bhullar said that the cyber police were searching for him at various locations.

Meanwhile, his location was traced to Haryana. Following this, Cyber Police Station In-charge Arun Kumar, ASI Satyendra Gangola, Head Constable Sonu Pandey, Manoj Kumar, and Constable Ravi Bora reached Haryana. There, late on Thursday night, the police arrested Kamal Singh from New Colony Police Station, Gurugram, Haryana. They also recovered a mobile phone and two SIM cards from him. The accused was later produced in court and sent to jail.

The Modus Operandi Of Crime

Cyber Police Station in-charge Arun Kumar stated that the cyber fraudsters contacted Khim Singh, a retired paramilitary officer, posing as an officer from the Maharashtra State Cyber Crime Department. They informed him that a sum of 68 crore rupees, linked to money laundering, had been deposited into his Canara Bank account. They instructed Khim Singh to remain in constant contact with them via WhatsApp calls and to avoid contact with anyone else. They also demanded verification of his bank accounts and property details through these WhatsApp calls.

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The cybercriminals intimidated him, threatening him with digital arrest and forcing him to remain in constant contact. Posing as telecom and CBI officers, they extorted 60 lakh rupees from him by threatening him with arrest for alleged involvement in crimes related to his Aadhaar card and bank account.

During questioning, the accused revealed that the bank account used in the crime had seen transactions worth millions of rupees within a seven-day period in July. Three complaints have been registered against the accused in different states, and the police in those states are being contacted regarding the matter.

(With Jagran.com Inputs) 

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