Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], November 28 (HBTV): The Indore Crime Branch has arrested two more accused from Punjab and Gujarat in connection with a 2024 ‘digital arrest’ scam in which a woman was allegedly defrauded of at least INR 1.60 crore. Police are investigating the possible involvement of a larger network.
The accused were identified as Patras Kumar (alias Kelis), a resident of Punjab, and Saurabh, a resident of Gujarat. According to the police, Kumar revealed during interrogation that he was preparing to travel to Laos for training related to such scams, while Saurabh had already undergone similar training. Kumar was detained at the Amritsar airport before he could travel abroad. With these arrests, the total number of people held in the case has risen to 17.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Rajesh Kumar Tripathi said, ‘In November 2024, there was an incident in which a woman was kept under digital arrest for three to four days and was slowly defrauded of INR 1 crore 60 lakh. After investigation, police have arrested 17 accused in the case, including those who provided the accounts and handled the transferred money.’
He added that the two recently arrested men were key figures in the operation. ‘During interrogation, it was revealed that they were going to Laos and receiving training there for this. It is possible that more people may be involved. We are conducting further investigation.’
According to the police, a group has been training individuals to execute such scams, with people from neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, and China, coming together to learn how to target women and the elderly. The accused allegedly gathered personal and financial information by identifying potential victims through Facebook.
The DCP said the operation was planned by individuals based in China and executed using VPNs and multiple mobile numbers, making the scam difficult to track. He added that translators for Hindi and English were also present so that participants from different countries could coordinate.
(ANI)