PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
A retired man from Dehradun reportedly lost Rs 13 lakh in a digital arrest cyber fraud case with the fraudsters posing as officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). Notably, six digital arrest cases have been registered so far this year while last year saw registration of 18 cases.
As per a complaint lodged at Patelnagar police station, Jagdish Singhof Geeta Enclave, Mohbewala, received a phone call on July 30 from a man claiming to be a senior police officer. The caller allegedly told him that an FIR had been registered against him in a sedition and money laundering case and also accused him of having links with a terrorist. To frighten him further, the fraudsters allegedly showed him fake arrest warrants and asset seizure documents through an online call and threatened him with legal action.
The complainant said that the callers had told him that if he cooperated, his case would be cleared quickly. Panicked by the threat, Singh transferred Rs 13 lakh through RTGS to a bank account operating from Maharashtra, as per the complaint. After realising that he had been cheated, he approached Patelnagar police and filed a complaint.
The senior superintendent, Special Task Force, Ajai Singh said that awareness programmes are conducted from time to time to educate people about digital arrest scams. He added that police stations across the district also regularly organise such awareness programmes to make the people aware of such frauds.
