Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 1 (ANI): Cyber fraudsters posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers digitally 'arrested' a 71-year-old retired official of Uttarakhand Jal Nigam and duped him of Rs 64.65 lakh, police said.

The accused threatened the victim with arrest and imprisonment on false charges of money laundering, forcing him to transfer the money.

Speaking to ANI, STF SSP Navneet Bhullar said, 'An FIR has been registered on the basis of the victim's complaint.' He added that an investigation is underway to trace the fraudsters and recover the amount.

Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Police Station, Goa, arrested two persons in connection with a major inter-state cyber fraud case involving a 'digital arrest' scam worth Rs 1.42 crore, police said on Saturday. The arrested accused have been identified as Ashadul Islam (24) and Yasmina Ahmed (32), residents of Marigaon, Assam. The case, registered under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) read with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act, is based on a complaint filed by a resident of Bicholim in North Goa.

According to police, the accused impersonated officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Supreme Court, using multiple WhatsApp numbers to place the victim under a fake 'digital arrest.' By creating fear and exerting psychological pressure, they coerced the complainant into transferring Rs 1,42,04,868 to multiple bank accounts. Following a detailed technical analysis of communications between the fraudsters and the victim, a special team of the Goa Crime Branch traced the accused to Nagaon district in Assam.

The arrests were carried out by a team led by Police Inspector Vikas Deykar, with Police Constables Arif Aga, Rupesh Gaikwad and Prakash. Police said that during verification, it emerged that both accused had earlier been arrested in an FIR registered at Nagaon Police Station, Assam, under the BNS for similar cyber fraud activities. In that case, the Assam Police seized 358 SIM cards, five mobile phones, one Wi-Fi router, one DVR, and one laptop.

The same mobile phones were found to have been used in the Goa cyber fraud case as well, and the seizure will be formally linked to the Goa Police investigation. Investigators further revealed that the same mobile numbers were linked to another 'digital arrest' complaint filed in Goa, involving a fraudulent amount of Rs 63.50 lakh. (ANI)