Cyberabad police arrest 15 in week-long cybercrime crackdown, secure ₹2 crore refunds for victims

The cyber crimes wing of Cyberabad police arrested 15 persons in connection with seven cases in different States between June 18 and June 24. Officials said four trading fraud cases, two ‘digital arrest’ fraud cases and one job fraud case were solved during the period.

The police facilitated refund orders worth ₹2.01 crore to victims in 136 cybercrime cases. A total of 542 refund orders were obtained through courts as part of efforts to recover money lost in online frauds.

Among the cases cracked during the week was a ‘digital arrest’ fraud in which a victim was cheated of ₹15.15 lakh by fraudsters posing as officials from TRAI, the police and the Enforcement Directorate.

Police said the victim was kept under “digital arrest” for nearly three weeks, during which he was instructed not to contact family members, regularly share his location and provide personal and banking details. Fearing arrest, he allegedly transferred ₹15.15 lakh through multiple UPI transactions to accounts specified by the fraudsters.

As part of the investigation, Cyberabad police arrested three persons from Maharashtra identified as Rajan Sammi Sharma alias Dhanunjay Sharma alias Raju Bhaiya, Shrawan Dhanraj Raut and Kamlesh Rameshwar Maraskole.

Investigators alleged that the trio created and supplied bank accounts used by cyber fraudsters to receive and route the money in exchange for commissions.

Cyberabad police reiterated that no law enforcement agency, government department, CBI, ED or TRAI conducts investigations through WhatsApp video calls or asks citizens to transfer money for verification purposes. They advised the public to verify suspicious communications independently and immediately report cyber frauds through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the cybercrime reporting portal.