Mumbai: The North Cyber Police Station have arrested one person in connection with a high-profile “digital arrest” scam involving a fraud of ₹49 lakh. The arrested accused has been identified as Gopal Ram Ghamanda Ram (30), a resident of Hira Wadi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
According to FIR, Sections 204, 308(7), 318(4), 319(2), 336(2), 3(5) of BNS and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Between March 9 and April 15, 2025, the complainant received a call from an individual posing as a police officer named Pradeep Sawant, who falsely claimed that a money laundering case had been filed against the victim.
The complainant was then contacted via WhatsApp by a person identifying himself as CBI Officer Rajesh Mishra. Through threats and manipulation, the accused convinced the complainant to "cooperate with the investigation" by transferring a total of ₹49 lakh via RTGS to various bank accounts.
During the investigation, it was found that ₹14 lakh out of the total defrauded amount was transferred to an account held at Bank. Technical analysis of the phone number linked to the account led the police to one Ram Kishanbhai Balwani of Ahmedabad. Upon interrogation, Balwani revealed that the account was being operated by Gopal Ram Ghamanda Ram, who was then traced and apprehended from his locality.
After thorough questioning, Gopal Ram was found to be directly involved in the fraudulent activities. He was formally arrested at 12:10 PM on May 28, 2025, under Section 47 of the BNSS after being served with a "grounds of arrest" notice. The arrest was made in compliance with all legal protocols and Supreme Court guidelines. Senior officials have been duly informed of the development. Further investigation into the syndicate and remaining co-accused is underway.
