Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) A young man has been arrested in Kolkata on charges of extorting Rs 3 crore by threatening a woman with “digital arrest” in Haryana.
The accused, Rahul Roy, was arrested from the Bansdroni area of south Kolkata with the help of Kolkata Police, a senior police officer said on Monday.
Members of the cyber fraud gang allegedly extorted Rs 3 crore from the account of the elderly wife of a former Army officer from Haryana.
Police said the incident took place a few months ago in the Panchkula police station area of Haryana, where the elderly wife of a former Army officer resides.
Cyber fraudsters allegedly called her while impersonating Central Bureau of Investigation officers. They told her that drugs had been found in a parcel sent in her name and claimed that she was under “digital arrest”.
She was allegedly forbidden from leaving her house.
As purported evidence, she was shown video calls and sent several fake documents on WhatsApp.
To escape the situation, she transferred Rs 3 crore to the fraudsters’ account.
Later, she filed a complaint with the Panchkula police station in Haryana.
After beginning the investigation, Haryana Police found that a part of the Rs 3 crore had been transferred to a bank account in Kolkata.
Accordingly, the police identified Rahul Roy of Bansdroni.
Recently, a joint team of Kolkata Police and Haryana Police raided his house in Bansdroni.
After arresting him, he is being taken to Haryana.
Police have begun searching for the other members of the gang.
Meanwhile, cyber fraudsters recently targeted an elderly woman from Nayabad in the Panchasayar area of south Kolkata and allegedly extorted Rs 12.55 lakh from her in two instalments by threatening her with “digital arrest”.
Cyber fraudsters allegedly called the elderly woman, who lives in a multi-storey apartment, and introduced themselves as police officers.
They claimed that there were allegations of cheating and forgery against her.
They also told the woman that her daughter and son-in-law were involved in the matter and would be arrested.
She was allegedly told that if she wanted to avoid arrest, she would have to pay money.
Out of fear, she transferred Rs 10 lakh in the first phase.
However, even after that, she continued to receive threatening phone calls.
She was allegedly forced to transfer another Rs 2.55 lakh in the second phase.
After her daughter informed her about the nature of the fraud, she realised that cyber fraudsters had targeted her.
Thereafter, she filed a complaint with the Panchasayar police station.
Police said the investigation is underway.
–IANS
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