Man arrested for holding Nainital resident under digital arrest for 18 days & extorting Rs 47 lakh
PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested the mastermind of a gang which allegedly kept a Nainital resident under digital arrest for 18 days and extorted Rs 47 lakh. The accused, identified as Aman Kushwaha, was apprehended from Agra, Uttar Pradesh late on Tuesday.
According to senior superintendent of police of STF Navneet Singh Bhullar, the victim had filed a complaint in December 2024, reporting that unknown individuals contacted him via WhatsApp and Skype. The callers claimed his Aadhaar-linked SIM card had been used for illegal transactions, threatening him with a money laundering case. Under this pretense, they coerced him into transferring money to multiple bank accounts.
The SSP said that given the seriousness of the case, inspector Arun Kumar of the Cyber Crime Police Station, Kumaun region, Rudrapur, was assigned to lead the investigation. The cyber team analysed data from bank accounts, registered mobile numbers and service providers, gathering crucial digital evidence. The accused was identified and multiple locations were raided before his arrest in Agra late on Tuesday.
The police recovered a mobile phone, a SIM card and an Aadhaar card used in the crime, Bhullar said. He informed that the investigation revealed that the gang used WhatsApp and Skype to impersonate officials from agencies such as Reserve Bank of India and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They sent fake notices and isolated victims by instructing them not to contact family or colleagues. The accused promised to clear the victim’s name and refund the money, leading the victim to transfer funds. Once received, the money was quickly moved through various accounts to avoid detection, as per Bhullar. He said that the preliminary questioning of the accused revealed that the bank account used in the scam had transactions worth lakhs within a month.
Further investigation showed that complaints against these accounts had been registered in Punjab, West Bengal and Uttarakhand. He said that law enforcement agencies from different states are working together to uncover the full extent of the gang’s operations. The SSP has also urged people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious digital communications to the police.
