New cyber crime: Noida logs first case of 'digital arrest', woman duped of over Rs 11 lakh
Noida, Dec 2: The Uttar Pradesh Police has launched an investigation after a Noida resident found herself at the receiving end of a new cyber fraud trend, wherein she was duped of more than Rs 11 lakh and held under "digital arrest" for a day, officials said on Saturday.
This is the first case in the new trend of "digital arrest fraud" lodged at the Cyber Crime police station in Noida. The thugs posed as police officials who mentioned the names of an IPS officer in the CBI and the founder of a grounded airline, associating the 50-year-old victim in a fictitious money-laundering case.
A similar case was recently reported in Haryana's Faridabad where cyber thugs, posing as police personnel, got a woman "digitally arrested" for more than a week after convincing her that her personal IDs were used for illegal activities. The thugs then asked her to stay online via Skype and not share this information with anyone even as they kept a watch on her throughout the period.
In her complaint, the Noida-based woman has claimed that she was contacted over an IVR (interactive voice response) call on November 13 and told that a mobile phone SIM card was purchased using her Aadhaar card in Mumbai and used for illegal advertising and harassment of women.
"Then my call was transferred to a person (who identified himself as a Mumbai Police officer) who did the initial interrogation over the call and then on Skype VC. Then he informed that I have another allegation of money laundering related to (the founder of an airline) for which an FIR has been registered against me and an arrest warrant issued by the Supreme Court for which he sent documents on Skype," the woman has said.
"After the interrogation, he said I am innocent and not guilty, so he is transferring the interrogation (to an IPS officer posted with the CBI, Mumbai) for further investigation of this case. Then he gave the Skype ID and asked me to request the CBI officer to do the priority investigation on VC to remove my arrest warrant," she has said in her complaint.
The said CBI officer told her that during the investigation of the airline founder, police found 246 debit cards from his house and one of those had the victim's name on it, which was used to open a bank account with her Aadhaar card.
"He then said my account was used for a fund transfer of Rs 2 crore for which I have been paid Rs 20 lakh. However, he said I do not look to be involved in this case, so to complete the investigation, I need to transfer funds from all my accounts to my ICICI account and subsequently, transfer the funds from the ICICI account to the PFC account as per the directives of the Supreme Court...," she said.
The woman has claimed that she was told not to disclose this information as it was related to "national security and will make me liable for further action".
"Also, to prove not guilty of the crime, he asked me to keep sufficient balance in my accounts for which he also advised to apply for a personal instant loan of Rs 20 lakh from ICICI and gave the details of how to apply for the same, which I denied but he forced me to arrange Rs 3 lakh more through the same and after much pressure, I had applied for the same, which is also transferred to the PFC account," she said.
"They also took a picture of my signature on Skype on the pretext of validating my Aadhaar card for investigation," she has alleged.
The woman reported the matter to the Uttar Pradesh Police's Cyber Crime officials and alleged a fraud of Rs 11.11 lakh with her, besides being "digitally arrested" from morning to night.
Inspector Reeta Yadav, in-charge of the Cyber Crime police station in Noida Sector 36, said an FIR has been lodged under the relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"An investigation into the case is underway," she told PTI.
The officer urged people to be cautious of emerging online crimes and reach out to police at the earliest either on the central helpline number 1930 or emergency number 112 or report such activities to the cyber desk of local police stations.
"People should also know that police never question any person digitally. If someone threatens you like this, ask them to send you a proper notice, ask for their details and tell them that you are coming to the police station to meet them," Yadav said.
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Karnataka: SP’s gunman among two arrested for extorting money from rice smuggler
Ballari (Karnataka) (PTI): An armed police constable serving as the district superintendent of police’s personal gunman, along with his accomplice, was arrested for allegedly extorting money from a rice smuggler, police said on Friday.
Devaraj, who had been serving as the SP’s gunman for the past four and a half years, was identified as the mastermind behind the incident.
Following an investigation, Devaraj and his accomplice Sairam were arrested on May 6, while efforts are underway to nab a third accused, Gadilinga, a practising advocate in Ballari, who is absconding, police said.
The matter came to light after a complaint was filed by Sharabappa, a habitual offender allegedly involved in illegal rice transport, they added.
According to police, the incident occurred on the intervening night of April 27 and 28, when a group of masked men intercepted Sharabappa’s rice-laden vehicles near the Moka forest area.
The accused allegedly introduced themselves as members of an “SP squad”, threatened to seize the vehicles and file criminal cases, and demanded money to avoid legal action.
Police said the accused initially demanded Rs 5 lakh and later extorted around Rs 3 lakh from the complainant.
Investigation revealed that Devaraj was the main person involved in demanding and collecting the money, while Sairam and Gadilinga were also involved in the offence. Sairam was allegedly involved in similar activities earlier as well.
Devaraj and Sairam were arrested under Sections 308(2) (extortion) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police also seized the extorted cash, the four-wheeler, and mobile phones allegedly used in the crime. Efforts are underway to trace Gadilinga.
Addressing a press conference, Ballari Superintendent of Police Suman D Pennekar described the incident as a serious offence that has tarnished the image of the police department.
"There is no official ‘SP squad’ or ‘DSP squad’ operating in the district. Such labels are often misused by impostors or corrupt individuals to commit extortion," the SP clarified.
She said no involvement of other police officers has been found so far.
Departmental proceedings have been initiated against Devaraj, and suspension proceedings are underway. The SP added that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in such offences.
Police said Sharabappa, the complainant, is a known habitual offender involved in illegal rice smuggling, and several cases have already been registered against him in the Moka and Peddihalli areas. A separate case has also been registered against him in connection with rice smuggling on the night of the incident.
Authorities are also exploring the possibility of initiating externment proceedings against him under applicable legal provisions.
The SP urged the public to report any extortion attempts by persons claiming to be part of an “SP squad”, assuring that the identity of informants will be kept confidential.
