Rajasthan: Doctor couple duped of Rs 76 lakh in digital arrest scam; Pune-based accused arrested in Thane

Jaipur, Oct 30 (IANS) The Central Cyber Police Station has arrested Kiran Laxman Tamhane, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra, in connection with a digital arrest scam in which an elderly doctor couple from Jaipur was allegedly cheated of Rs 76 lakh.

The accused was arrested in Thane and brought to Jaipur on a transit warrant. Four people have been arrested so far in the case.

The fraudsters allegedly posed as officials of the police, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA), threatening the couple with arrest over alleged links to terrorist activities and money laundering.

During the investigation, approximately Rs 50 lakh of the defrauded amount was traced to an ICICI Bank account belonging to Tamhane’s company.

The action was taken under the ongoing campaign against cybercrime, particularly digital arrest frauds, initiated on the directions of Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar Sharma. Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) Vijay Kumar Singh shared details of the investigation.

According to the police, the complainant, a Jaipur resident, and his wife received a WhatsApp call from the fraudsters. Using different mobile numbers, the accused impersonated police officers and claimed that the couple’s Aadhaar cards had been misused in connection with terrorist activities and large-scale financial crimes. They threatened the couple with arrest and warned that other family members could also face serious legal consequences.

The fraudsters subsequently sent a forged NIA notice through WhatsApp and assured the couple that an NOC or security clearance certificate would be issued after a few days. They maintained continuous psychological pressure through WhatsApp voice and video calls, keeping the victims under constant surveillance. The couple was also forced to share details of their fixed deposits and photographs of official documents. Under pressure and acting on the fraudsters’ instructions, the elderly couple liquidated their savings and transferred a total of Rs 76 lakh into multiple bank accounts.

During the investigation, the cyber police analysed the WhatsApp numbers used by the accused, along with Call Detail Records (CDR), Customer Application Forms (CAF), IP Detail Records (IPDR) and bank account statements linked to suspicious mobile numbers.

The investigation revealed that money deposited into one bank account was transferred through RTGS to another account on the same day and subsequently moved to a third account the following day.

This established a chain of rapid financial transactions through which the defrauded money was allegedly routed across multiple accounts.

Based on banking records, transaction trails and technical evidence, the police initially arrested three people from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Further investigation led the team to Kiran Laxman Tamhane, identified as the first beneficiary to receive a portion of the defrauded money.

During interrogation, Tamhane reportedly disclosed that his company’s ICICI Bank account, belonging to K.T. Multi Service Private Limited, had been used in the cyber fraud.

Approximately Rs 50 lakh was deposited into the account before being transferred to other bank accounts. Police said Tamhane, in alleged collusion with Jigna Prathamesh Sawant (Rathod) and Anurag Maheshwari, facilitated the use of the company’s bank account details, net banking credentials, including user ID and password, chequebooks and mobile SIM cards.

According to the police, Tamhane claimed that he had shared the banking details after being offered investment opportunities in real estate and promised a commission on the profits.

Investigators believe that the company’s bank account and associated banking credentials were used to receive and transfer proceeds of the alleged cyber fraud.

The cyber police are continuing their technical investigation, examining WhatsApp records, CDRs, CAF details, IPDR data and banking transactions to establish the complete money trail.

The investigation is also focused on identifying the subsequent destinations of the defrauded money and other individuals involved in the network.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime) Shantanu Kumar Singh and the leadership of Station House Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajendra Sharma.

The police team included Inspector Ajay Kumar and Constables Bhivaram and Sachchidanand.

–IANS

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