Digital arrest: Five men arrested for duping HR manager of Rs 19 lakh

New Delhi: In a digital arrest scam, five men have been arrested for allegedly duping a woman of nearly Rs 19 lakh by posing as Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials.

Police investigations revealed that bank accounts linked to the racket were connected to at least 473 cyber fraud complaints nationwide, including 24 in Delhi.

The scam surfaced after an HR manager at a private firm filed a complaint stating she had been defrauded. She alleged that a man, claiming to be an NCB officer, accused her of involvement in criminal activities through her Aadhaar card and threatened her with legal action.

"She was then asked to join a Skype call, where fake NCB IDs and documents were shown. Under pressure, she was allegedly forced to transfer the money," said DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan.

Following the complaint, a case was registered. Using technical surveillance, police carried out raids in Delhi, Hapur and Greater Noida. The operation led to the arrests of Lokesh Gupta (38) from Mukundpur; Manoj Chaudhary (30) from Hapur; Mohit Jain (33) from Greater Noida; Keshav Kumar (45) from Gautam Buddh Nagar and Saif Ali (30) from Shahdara.

According to DCP Valsan, the accused were part of an organised crime syndicate that set up shell companies to launder money. Jain and Kumar, both with a history of cybercrime, allegedly worked with foreign handlers and moved funds through multiple mule accounts. Ali confessed to arranging people to open bank accounts and claimed he earned Rs 7 lakh for his role.

During the operation, police seized 14 mobile phones, 40 cheque books, 33 SIM cards, 22 stamp papers, 19 debit cards, 14 PAN cards, seven digital signatures, an internet banking key, a bank scanner, a debit/credit card swapping machine and a car.

Further investigation is underway to identify and nab the absconding associates.