Odisha CID nabs two from Gujarat in Rs 1.08 crore ‘digital arrest’ case

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Odisha Police has arrested two fraudsters who orchestrated a ‘digital arrest case’, confining a man from Bhubaneswar in a hotel for six days and duping him of Rs 1.08 crore, officials said on Friday.

An investigating team, after analyzing the transaction details and working upon other digital evidence, cracked down at Sihor, Bhavnagar, Gujarat. After verifying the details in the locality, it successfully identified and arrested two of the perpetrators of the crime. The fraudsters were identified as Vaghela Arvindsinh (24) and Gohli Vishvarajsinh Bharat Sinh (24), both natives of Bhavnagar district in Gujarat.

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Brought under transit remand from a court in Bhavnagar, the duo was remanded to jail custody today after the SDJM Court here rejected their bail application.

The Bhubaneswar-based man was duped in August last year. The complainant reported to the Cyber Crime Police Station that he was defrauded by unknown cyber fraudsters impersonating officials from DHL courier, the Mumbai Crime Branch, and other government agencies. They falsely accused him of involvement in criminal activities using his Aadhaar details and kept him under constant video surveillance for six days from 9 to 14 August, coercing him to isolate himself in a hotel.

Under threats of arrest and media exposure, they obtained his personal and financial information, convincing him to liquidate his investments and transfer a total of Rs 1,08,32,000 (Rs 1.08 crore) in multiple transactions for supposed account verification and issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NoC). Realizing it was a scam, he filed an FIR. The case is under investigation, the CID said.

Here, the accused and their associates posed themselves as officials from DHL, Mumbai Crime Branch, CBI, and other government agencies, and so far it is revealed that the above accused persons cheated the complainant to a tune of Rs 1,08,32,000 on the pretext of a criminal investigation and issuance of NoC linked to alleged misuse of his Aadhaar credentials and committed the offence u/s- 318(4)/ 319(2)/ 336(2)/ 336(3)/ 338/ 340(2)/ 61(2)/ 3(5) BNS r/w Sec. 66-C/ 66-D of Information Technology Act, 2000.

The investigating team has seized various incriminating articles including two Iphone 15pro Max & 13 pro Max, SIM Cards, Aadhar Cards, PAN Cards, one passbook, etc. The bank accounts of the fraudsters have been frozen, CID added.