Hyderabad, Dec 19 (NationPress) The police in Hyderabad have apprehended two individuals involved in a shocking 'digital arrest' scheme that resulted in a senior citizen losing Rs 59 lakh. The Cybercrime unit arrested the duo for facilitating accounts used to deceive the retired individual.

The arrested suspects, Surampudi Chandrasekhar (31) and Emandi Venkat Naveen (25), both hailing from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, were taken into custody.

As per police reports, on December 4, the victim received WhatsApp calls from unknown individuals posing as police and government officials. These fraudsters falsely accused him of being involved in human trafficking, overseas job fraud, and money laundering, sending fabricated arrest warrants via WhatsApp to instill fear. Under ongoing threats of arrest, the victim transferred Rs. 59,00,300 through RTGS from his Union Bank of India account between December 4 and 6.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cybercrimes) V. Arvind Babu stated that the accused impersonated police and government officials, utilized WhatsApp calls, and sent forged arrest warrants to generate fear. They compelled victims to transfer money to various bank accounts, exploited malicious APK files to gain access to internet banking and SMS services, routed funds through shell firm accounts, converted them into cryptocurrency (USDT), and withdrew money via Binance P2P transactions into their personal accounts.

This duo is part of an interstate cyber fraud syndicate. They have procured and shared bank accounts for laundering the stolen funds. To date, 15 current bank accounts have been arranged for the primary accused, who received proceeds in cryptocurrency, later exchanged for Indian rupees. They assisted the primary accused by providing accounts and technical access.

The suspects are implicated in 65 cyber fraud cases across the nation, including states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, with the total amount involved in these cases reaching Rs 8 crore.

Five of these cases are linked to Telangana, with two each in Hyderabad and Cyberabad, and one in Sangareddy.

Other individuals involved are currently at large. The arrested suspects have been remanded to judicial custody, with further investigations ongoing.

In a separate case of sextortion fraud, a man lost Rs.3.41 lakh. The police reported that the victim received an unsolicited call from a woman claiming to be Jyothi Gupta, who attempted to seduce him. Following this, he received a video call from a person identifying himself as Vikram Goswami, who threatened to share a video of the victim on social media and ruin his reputation.

Out of fear, the victim was coerced into making several payments through Google Pay to an individual named Manjeet Singh, under the pretense that the case would be resolved and the money refunded. Subsequently, the accused hacked into the victim’s bank accounts, leading to additional losses. They further intimidated him by falsely claiming the woman had died and demanded more funds to prevent legal repercussions.

Due to fear, social stigma, and a sense of helplessness, the victim incurred a total financial loss of Rs. 3,41,950, according to police.