The Cybercrime Unit of Goa Police has arrested a man from Kerala for allegedly defrauding a Quepem resident of more than ₹1 crore through a “digital arrest” scam. Officials said the accused, identified as Gokul Prakash M K from West Kannur, was taken into custody on August 7 after the victim lodged a complaint.
According to Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta, the scam began when the complainant received WhatsApp calls from individuals posing as law enforcement officers. The scammers falsely claimed the victim was involved in a money laundering case linked to the Naresh Goyal investigation and presented a fake arrest warrant to demand payment.
The elaborate scam used computer-generated documents and intimidation tactics to create a sense of urgency and fear. Under pressure, the victim transferred over ₹1 crore to multiple bank accounts. Investigations revealed that ₹24 lakh of the defrauded amount was traced to an ICICI Bank account belonging to Prakash, who has been linked to 13 cybercrime cases across 10 states, with a total value exceeding ₹9 crore.
Using digital forensics and tracking financial transactions, police traced Prakash to Kerala and arrested him. The case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. He remains in police custody, with further investigations being led by Cybercrime PI Deepak Pednekar.
Authorities warn that digital arrest scams, where criminals impersonate officials to extort money, are on the rise in India. The Ministry of Home Affairs has reported a significant increase in such incidents. Police advise the public to remain cautious, noting that genuine law enforcement agencies will never request payments through bank transfers. Any such demands or claims of arrest warrants should be verified through official channels, and suspected fraud should be reported immediately to the nearest Cyber Crime Police Station.
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