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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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
