Mumbai: The Malad police have arrested four persons for allegedly defrauding unsuspecting people by threatening digital arrest. The accused were active in interstate operations and were arrested from Surat, Gujarat. They have been identified as Jai Rasikabhai Moradia, 21, Dharam Gohil, 26, Sandeep Kevadia, 30, and Jai Asodriya, 22.
About The Case
The complainant, a 68-year-old man from Malad, on December 21, received a call from a purported policeman. After collecting personal details about the complainant and his family, the caller told him someone named Goyal had opened a bank account using the complainant’s Aadhaar card. The caller further claimed that there were financial irregularities in this account and that he would need to go to the police station for questioning.
The complainant denied any knowledge of the man named Goyal or his activities. The caller then made a video call, during which the complainant saw a person in a police uniform and was informed that he had been “digitally arrested” and could not contact anyone. The person demanded Rs 10 lakh to resolve the issue and threatened that they would come to his house and arrest him if the payment was not made.
Fearing further action, the complainant transferred Rs 8.6 lakh to the provided bank account. Later realising that he had been scammed, he filed a complaint with the Malad police, who found out that the bank accounts had been opened in the names of the accused.