Man arrested for involvement in ₹1.22 crore ‘digital capture’ scam

A man involved in a digital arrest (and impersonation) fraud that cost a 40-year-old woman in Hyderabad a whopping ₹1.22 crore was arrested by the Cyberabad cybercrime police in Pune on Saturday.

On September 2, the victim received an automated call claiming to be from the Delhi High Court. She was then connected to a person who identified himself as Gaurav Shukla, head constable of RC Puram police station, Delhi, who stated that money laundering transactions of ₹25 lakh were carried out through her bank account. The call was then transferred to ‘DCP Rajesh Deo’, who informed the victim about the ‘digital arrest’. The victim was put under house arrest for five days under constant surveillance via Skype and WhatsApp and was forced to share her identity documents and transfer over ₹1.22 crore to various fraudulent accounts.

Police arrested Kapil Koomar, 42, who had received ₹25 lakh from the victim in his account, which he had shared with the main accused Kinshuk Shukla for commission. Police have seized a mobile phone from the man, which is being examined to find more clues.