• Source:JND
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A retired scientist from Delhi recently became a victim of a “digital arrest” scam, which resulted in him losing an eye-watering ₹1.29 crore. Sukdev Nandi fell victim to the misinformation being perpetrated by bot agents impersonating CBI officers who claimed he was under investigation.

To avoid legal consequences, exorbitant fines, and public humiliation, Nandi complied with the terms set by the scamsters and transferred his life savings over several payments.

Uttar Pradesh STF Arrests Two Men in Connection with Scam

The STF UP officials apprehended two of the suspects in Shaheed Path, Lucknow, after a case was registered in Bareilly:

  • Pradeep Kumar Singh, director of Narayani Infra Developer Private Ltd.
  • Mahfooz, who received part of the swindled money in his account.

What the investigation revealed:

  • The defrauded funds were routed through a corporate account with Pradeep’s firm in ICICI Bank, through which he had an account.
  • Singh also received a reported 871 units of cryptocurrency, which were said to have been sent to him via Binance, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges.
  • In total, Mahfooz pocketed ₹9 lakh from the scam. The officials hypothesise that a portion of that money was turned into digital currencies to hide the trail of the funds.

Wider Fraud Network Under Probe

STF officials believe that the network could be wider than what is currently being investigated by the Bareilly Cyber Crime Cell. The modeled digital arrest frauds that tend to impersonate various government agencies to extort money are targeted mainly towards retired individuals and senior citizens.

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Authorities Issue Warning to Public

Once more, law enforcement has put out a warning to citizens, specifically targeting their attention towards such frauds. If you happen to receive threatening calls that seem to come from an agency of government, please bear in mind the following:

  • No government agency will call you to demand money from you.
  • Funds should never be sent upon demand.
  • Calls of this nature should be reported immediately to your regional cyber crime cell or the helpline 1930.