3, including woman, arrested in Maharashtra for Rs 23-lakh digital arrest scam

Three people, including a woman, have been arrested in Maharashtra's Beed district for allegedly defrauding a man of more than Rs 23 lakh using the notorious 'digital arrest' tactic.

The accused have been identified as Prasanna Ajay Kasat, his wife Swati Kasat, and their associate Sanket Deepak Beldar. All three of them are residents of Jalgaon, the police said on Friday.

The trio allegedly targeted a man named Suryakant Munde. As part of their illicit scheme, the group allegedly posed as police officials and threatened to place him under so-called digital arrest.

The probe into the matter revealed that the fraudsters duped Munde of Rs 23.42, officials said. The money was diverted to the bank accounts belonging to the accused, officials added.

The police relied on technical analysis to trace them, per officials. As much as Rs 3 lakh in cash was seized from the possession of the accused, the officials said, adding that their bank accounts were also frozen as part of the probe.

The police said that further investigation is underway to identify other members of the gang.

'Digital arrest' scams, which usually target elderly individuals and other technologically unversed persons due to their vulnerability, have been reported from all across the country over the past few years.

Last year, an 81-year-old retired businessman from Hyderabad lost Rs 7.12 crore to a 'digital arrest' scam, over a period of two months, after fraudsters threatened to implicate him in a drugs-related case.

In January this year, the Delhi Police arrested at least two people for allegedly defrauding an elderly doctor couple of nearly Rs 15 crore.

The senior citizens were threatened with arrest warrants and false criminal cases under stringent provisions by scammers who established contact with them over the phone.

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(With inputs from agencies)