Ahmedabad digital arrest case: Another shocking case of digital arrest has come to light from Ahmedabad, where a senior citizen doctor was arrested in the name of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and then cheated Rs 8 crore in 12 days. Following the complaint of the doctor, Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested three accused including Mastermind Vikas Kumar Singh in this case.
First call and panic start
The life of that senior citizen doctor living in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, suddenly turned back. One day a WhatsApp call came on his mobile. The person in front said in a very loud voice, “We are speaking from the Mumbai Enforcement Directorate (ED). There is a serious allegation against you. Jet Airways Money Laundering Scam has deposited Rs 5 lakh from your bank account in the scam.” Doctors were shocked. There was so much confidence and strictness in the voice of the front that there was no scope to doubt.
Arrest threat and fear of jail
The phone call on the phone said, “If you do not cooperate in the investigation, you will take your 40 -day remand from the court. You will be arrested immediately and if you tell this to someone, a case of treason will be registered against you.” The doctor’s forehead was stunned. This doctor, associated with the aged and respected profession, was getting this experience for the first time. Fear captured his mind.
Online court hearing ‘drama’
The accused took advantage of the same fear and overturned the game. He told the doctor, “You don’t need to call Delhi. We will get you online court hearing.” After this, he was shown a court -like process on a video call on mobile and laptop screen. There were people acting in the name of lawyers, judges and court staff. Not only this, he was also sent a fake letter in the name of Chief Justice of India (CJI). This entire setup assured the doctor that the matter is real.
8 crore lime in 12 days
On behalf of the accused, the victim’s doctor was asked that as long as the investigation is going on, money from their bank account will have to be transferred to different accounts as security. The aggrieved doctor transferred a total of ₹ 8 crore 5 lakh to 7 different bank accounts in 12 days between fear and trust. He was assured that “as soon as the investigation is completed, all your money will be returned to you.”
Bank account given in the greed of commission
The real game of cheating came to light when the police investigated a bank account, in which 80 lakh rupees were transferred to the doctor. The account came out of Pappu Singh, who lives in Narol area of Ahmedabad. The police immediately reached him. During interrogation, it was found that Pappu had rented his bank account in the greed of the commission. He was promised that he will get 10% commission on the money transferred from his account. But the reality was that only ₹ 780 was left after transferring money from his account to different banks, the remaining crores of rupees were immediately spent in other accounts. That is, Pappu also became a victim of cheating.
Middlemen connection with cyber syndicate
The investigation of this matter revealed that Vikas Kumar Singh is the mastermind of this entire game. The middleman was looking for such accounts through Asif, which has a transaction limit of crores. In fact, Vikas was in touch with the Cyber Fraud gang sitting directly in Cambodia through the Telegram app. This gang operates cases like digital arrest in India. They have such high-tech applications, from which the location is seen in India on calling, while the call is actually coming from abroad.
Digital arrest method
Police investigation also made it clear that these gangs have made digital arrest a new weapon. In this, the victim is assured through fear and panic that he is stuck in a big money laundering case. The victim is said to be implicated in treason or court case. It is isolated so that he cannot take advice from anyone. Could not talk to anyone. Then his trust is won by pretending to be online hearing. And after that the victim transferred crores of rupees from his hands to different accounts.
Police reveal and arrest
Ahmedabad Crime Branch started a rapid investigation on receiving a complaint in Ismamle. ACP Bharat Patel said that the victim doctor was constantly assured that after the court’s action is over, all his money would be returned. At present, the Crime Branch has arrested the accused Vikas Kumar Singh, middleman Asif and Pappu Singh, who gave the bank account commission. But reaching the cyber gang sitting in Cambodia is still a big challenge for the police.
Cyber criminals threatened
Police officials believe that such gangs work internationally. They target countries like India, where digital payments are growing rapidly, but cyber security awareness is not as strong. These gangs scare senior citizens and high-profile professionals by taking the names of big investigative agencies like ED, CBI, NIA.
Challenge and lesson for the public
The government is continuously running a helpline number and awareness campaign to stop cyber fraud. But high-tech fraud cases like digital arrest are not taking the name of stopping. This case gives the public a big lesson- do not trust any call immediately. Beware of those who tell yourself from an agency on WhatsApp or phone call. Keep in mind that real agencies never get the court hearing online nor asks to transfer money to any account.
Use of psychological moves
This case of Ahmedabad is not limited to just one city or a doctor. This is evidence that cyber criminals are now using psychological moves like digital arrest. They raise the fake structure of laws, courts and agencies and scare the victim so much that he himself loses the biggest earnings of his life with his own hands.
At present, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested three accused in this case, but the real kingpin is still sitting abroad. This case is a major alert for India’s cyber security.
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