Nagpur: A 75-year-old retired Chief Engineer of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) was duped of Rs 23.71 lakh by a cyber fraud gang that threatened him with a fake Enforcement Directorate (ED) case and a so-called “digital arrest.” Swift action by Nagpur Cyber Police led to the arrest of a 60-year-old railway employee from Odisha and recovery of nearly three-fourths of the defrauded amount.
The arrested accused has been identified as Ranjankumar Vishnucharan Patnaik, a resident of Bhatpada, Debidol in Odisha. According to police, Ranjankumar had “rented” his bank account to the cyber gang, enabling them to receive the victim’s funds.
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The incident occurred on July 2, when the victim, whose name has been withheld by police, received a WhatsApp call from a woman claiming to be from Colaba Police Station, Mumbai. She alleged that funds from money laundering activities had been deposited into his bank account and that the ED had registered a case against him.
The caller further claimed that a Supreme Court arrest warrant had been issued and that he would be “digitally arrested” if he did not comply. To make the threat convincing, the fraudster sent forged ED and Reserve Bank of India documents over WhatsApp.
Under pressure, the victim was instructed to transfer money to a specified bank account to “settle the case.” Believing the threats, he deposited Rs 23.71 lakh into the account.
Realising he had been cheated, the retired engineer approached the Nagpur Cyber Police Station, where an investigation traced the beneficiary account to Ranjankumar in Odisha. A police team travelled to Odisha, arrested the accused, and froze Rs 19.90 lakh in the account, which will soon be returned to the complainant.
Ranjankumar was produced before a court and remanded to police custody till August 11. Police said he is suspected to be part of a larger interstate cybercrime racket.
The probe was led by Senior PI Baliram Sutar, assisted by Shankar Pandhre, API Vinod Tondfode, and constable Rinkesh Thakur. Police have warned citizens not to fall prey to “digital arrest” threats and to immediately verify such claims with local law enforcement.
