UP man loses over Rs 1 cr in 'digital arrest' fraud involving fake court hearings
Shahjahanpur (UP), Jul 2 (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday arrested seven men who allegedly impersonated officials from the ED and the CBI to "digitally arrest" a Shahjahanpur resident and swindle more than Rs one crore through a fabricated online court proceeding, an official said.
The gang's modus operandi involved convincing the victim, 60-year-old Sharad Chand, that he was under investigation for an alleged illegal transaction of Rs 2.8 crore, the officer said.
The fraudsters allegedly first contacted him via phone on May 6, posing as ED and CBI officers. Then they escalated the deception by impersonating a judge and conducting fake virtual hearings through WhatsApp for almost a month, according to the police.
Digital arrest is a term used in cyber frauds where victims are falsely told they are under surveillance or legal custody through digital means. They are often isolated via continuous video or call surveillance by fraudsters posing as officials, and manipulated into following instructions without alerting others - often leading to extortion or fraud.
Shahjahanpur Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI that during these "virtual hearings", fake lawyers and judges allegedly intimidated Chand, ultimately coercing him into transferring Rs 1.04 crore across 40 bank accounts belonging to nine alleged "advocates."
The victim, associated with an NGO, did not inform anyone at the time of the "digital arrest" but reported the matter to the police once he realised that he had been conned.
During the investigation, police discovered suspicious transactions of Rs nine crore in a bank account linked to the case. That account is also under scrutiny, Dwivedi said.
Those arrested have been identified as Sachin, Prashant, Gautam Singh, Sandeep Kumar, Syed Saif, Aryan Sharma, and Pawan Yadav - all aged between 20 and 28 years.
They have been booked under sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by impersonation), 204 (impersonating a government official) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the IT Act. All have been sent to jail, the police added.
Uttar Pradesh Police has cautioned citizens against cyber frauds like digital arrest and asked them to report any such experiences to their nearest police station or on the dedicated helpline number 1530.
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Parag fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping incident, BCCI exploring 'stringent action' on RR
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was on Thursday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offence carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
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"Riyan admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee, Amit Sharma," said the IPL in a statement.
"The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and players to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact," the statement added.
When PTI reached out to BCCI secretary Devajit Saika on possible action on Rajasthan Royals, he said: "As it is written clearly in the statement, we are exploring what action to take on the team. It is not decided yet."
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on Friday night.
