New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Delhi Police arrested two men and claimed to have busted a digital arrest cyber fraud module, an official said on Wednesday.
The police arrested Shubham Sharma and Mohit, both residents of Haryana, who were allegedly involved in a months-long extortion racket where they impersonated law enforcement officials and tricked a woman into transferring over Rs 35 lakh under the pretext of a fake criminal investigation.
According to the police, the case came to light when a woman approached the Cyber Cell alleging that she had been coerced into paying large sums of money after receiving threatening calls from men posing as police officers.
The complainant, a homemaker, was first contacted by a caller introducing himself as Sub-Inspector Prashant Sharma from Mumbai Cyber Crime. She was falsely accused of using her Aadhaar details in criminal activities such as money laundering, the police said, explaining the racket’s modus operandi.
“The victim grew even more fearsome when the call was transferred to a woman impersonating a senior officer who sent her forged FIRs and arrest warrants through social media. Through constant video and audio calls over several weeks, the victim was psychologically manipulated and forced to remain under digital arrest,” said the officer.
The victim was threatened with the arrest of her and her husband, and she was told that police personnel were stationed outside her house. Every transaction she made was followed by instructions to delete all messages, call logs and payment evidence, said the officer.
“Over nearly three months, she transferred over Rs 35 lakh into various accounts before realising she had been duped. She then filed a complaint, prompting police to register an FIR and begin a technical probe,” he added.
Despite the accused’s attempts to erase their digital footprints, investigators successfully reconstructed the entire sequence using digital forensics, call detail records, IP addresses, and bank transaction trails.
“The team noticed suspicious transactions linked to multiple bank accounts and UPI IDs opened using fake credentials,” said the officer, adding that Shubham Sharma was first arrested in Panipat. His interrogation led to the arrest of co-accused Mohit, who had a previous case registered against him in Faridabad.
The police noted that Sharma had recently graduated from high school, while Mohit, a class 10 dropout, played a critical role in recruiting accomplices and managing the financial aspects of the scam.
During questioning, Sharma confessed to opening at least eight bank accounts using forged PAN cards and email IDs. Mohit admitted to assisting in withdrawing and transferring the money to other members of the syndicate.
Further investigations are ongoing. PTI BM BM MPL MPL
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