Man held for duping ex-Army officer of Rs 78 lakh in 'digital arrest' scam

Police have arrested a man for allegedly defrauding a retired Army officer of over Rs 78 lakh under the ''digital arrest'' scam, officials said on Monday. Digital arrest is a tactic where cybercriminals confine victims to their homes to scam them. Offenders generate fear by making audio or video calls, frequently posing as law enforcement officers using AI-generated voices or video technology.

The accused, identified as Anikant Bhat, a resident of Deepnagar in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), was reportedly acting on the instructions of handlers based in Cambodia, police said on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police Nitish Aggarwal said the arrest was made by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Kurukshetra, following a complaint by a retired Army personnel residing in Sector-2 of the city.

The complainant, Bal Krishna, said he received a call on August 24 from a woman posing as a bank employee, who alleged that his credit card had an outstanding bill of Rs 1 lakh. When he denied owning a credit card, she connected him to other so-called ''senior officials''.

Subsequent callers falsely accused him of involvement in money laundering using his Aadhaar card and threatened him with serious consequences unless he paid the alleged dues.

Out of fear, the victim followed their instructions and transferred Rs 29.85 lakh on August 28, and another Rs 49 lakh on September 1, into accounts specified by the fraudsters.

Upon realising he had been duped, he approached the police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.

Aggarwal said the accused had received training from a gang based in Cambodia to carry out cyber fraud. Operating from Dehradun, he used SIM bank devices (SIM boxes) to control multiple phone numbers simultaneously and make the calls appear to originate from Indian numbers, although they were routed internationally.

The gang in Cambodia had even installed surveillance cameras in the accused's room to monitor his activities in real time, the officer added.

Explaining the technology, Aggarwal said the SIM box functions like a mini-exchange and can hold up to 256 SIM cards. It enables fraudsters to make hundreds of calls simultaneously without using standard mobile phones, making detection extremely difficult.

The SIM box device, smuggled from Cambodia, played a crucial role in the operation of the scam, he said.

Aggarwal urged the public to stay alert to such scams and not be intimidated by callers impersonating police or CBI officials. He advised that anyone receiving such calls should immediately inform their family, contact the nearest police station or call the national cyber helpline.

''Awareness is the best protection against cyber fraud,'' he emphasised.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)