Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Fraudsters allegedly withdrew money multiple times from ATMs in Gwalior and later routed it through their network using cryptocurrency in connection with a ‘digital arrest’ scam involving an elderly woman. The victim was cheated of Rs 29.70 lakh after being falsely accused of having links to a terrorist organisation.
The Aerodrome police arrested a youth from Gwalior after money from the main fraudster’s account—based in Shillong, Meghalaya—was routed through his bank account. The accused had allegedly provided his account to fraudsters in return for a 10–20% commission.
DCP Krishan Lalchandani said a fraudster posing as the Superintendent of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, intimidated the 70-year-old woman, claiming that funds from a terrorist organisation in Jammu and Kashmir had been laundered into her account. Fearing arrest, the woman transferred Rs 29.70 lakh. Police arrested the accused, identified as Akash Rajawat, from Gwalior.
Kingpin may be from North-East
DCP Lalchandani said the kingpin is suspected to be from the North-East region, as nearly Rs 14 lakh of the victim’s money was transferred to a Shillong-based account. Police also detected around Rs 3 crore of other cyber-fraud proceeds in the same account. The money trail shows use of ‘mule’ accounts across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.
Account rented for commission
Akash allegedly rented out his bank account to a person based in Gwalior after being promised a 10–20% commission on transactions routed through it.
Cash converted to crypto
Money transferred to Akash’s account was later withdrawn by another person from three to four ATMs in Gwalior. The cash was then converted into cryptocurrency and forwarded further along the fraud chain.
