Digital Arrest Scam In Nashik: Lawyer, Two Others Duped Of ₹2 Crore

Nashik: Cyber criminals have cheated three people of about Rs 1 crore by claiming that the amount in the bank account is anonymous and the transactions made are suspicious. This type of ‘digital arrest’ has created a stir in the city. The victims of the fraud include Neeraj Bapat, Jayashree Joshi and Vrushali Pandhale. Bapat is reportedly a lawyer.

According to the information received, the cyber criminals made video calls to the three people and said that they were talking to officials from the ED, CBI and the Customs Department. It is recorded that the suspects made video calls from a total of 16 different mobile numbers between July 8 and August 2. They threatened to take legal action by saying, "The amount in your bank account is anonymous, and the transactions made are suspicious." A fake arrest warrant was also shown for this. They were made to fear that they would do as we tell them to get out of this crisis. The fraudsters increased the fear of all three by showing fake police stations, police officers and documents on the video call.

Number blocked after receiving money

After this, all three were instructed to deposit money in different bank accounts. Accordingly, Rs 50 lakh was extorted from Neeraj Bapat, Rs 36.91 lakh from Jayashree Joshi, and Rs 9.38 lakh from Vrushali Pandhale - a total of Rs 96.29 lakh. After receiving the money, the fraudsters blocked the mobile number. As soon as they realised that they had been cheated, all three rushed to the cyber police and filed a complaint. The police have registered a case against unknown suspects and further investigation is underway.