Kerala Man's Digital Deceit: Inside a 1.05 Crore Con

A Kerala man has been detained for allegedly defrauding a resident of South Goa of Rs 1.05 crore. Police reported on Monday that the man used a scheme known as 'digital arrest' to carry out the scam.

The accused, Gokul Prakash MK, masqueraded as a law enforcement officer, misleading the victim into believing he was implicated in a money laundering investigation. Prakash utilized a counterfeit arrest warrant to intimidate the Quepem-based victim into making multiple bank transactions.

Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta revealed that Prakash had received Rs 24 lakh from the fraudulent activity, linking him to 13 criminal cases across 10 states totaling over Rs 9.02 crore. A formal complaint was filed on July 9 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Police traced the suspect to Kannur, Kerala, apprehending him on August 7, and further investigations are progressing under PI Deepak Pednekar.

(With inputs from agencies.)