A gang of three individuals from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, was apprehended by the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police in connection with ‘digital arrest’ scam that spanned multiple states across India. The accused—Thota Srinivasa Rao, Lam Jeevankumar, and Tammishetty Raghuveer—were running a scam that manipulated unsuspecting victims into transferring money under the false pretense of a police investigation.
The operation came to light when a Hyderabad resident, Veeraboina Sai Raj, received a call on November 28, 2024, from someone claiming to be Head Constable Sanjay Patil from the Kurla Police Station in Mumbai. The fraudster falsely informed the victim that a case had been filed against him, with a ₹25 lakh illegal transaction linked to his bank account. The victim was then instructed to join a Skype call, where the fraudster appeared on video, coercing him to transfer funds to verify his financial transactions. Under duress, the victim took a loan from ICICI Bank and transferred ₹3,57,998, believing he was complying with an official police inquiry.
Upon investigation, the authorities discovered that this gang was not only operating in Hyderabad but had been linked to similar fraudulent activities across multiple states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Goa, and Odisha. The police seized several items during the arrests, including mobile phones, bank passbooks, cheque books, debit and credit cards, PAN cards, and receipts, which further corroborated the scale of the scam.
In a separate case, Cyber Crime Police arrested another fraudster, Lalitkumar Jayswal from Gujarat, for running a stock trading scam. The victim was added to a WhatsApp group where fake profit screenshots were shared to lure him into investing. Believing the success stories, the victim invested ₹6,20,000 after being promised huge returns. Initially, the fraudsters allowed small withdrawals to build trust but eventually blocked the victim from accessing his funds when he refused to invest more. Jayswal was found to have carried out similar scams in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, and Delhi.
Both cases highlight the growing trend of online fraud, with cyber criminals using social media and messaging platforms to prey on individuals. Authorities continue to urge the public to be cautious when engaging in online transactions, especially when pressured by unknown parties.
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