PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested Mridul Sur from Kolkata on charges of duping a Dehradun resident of Rs 98 lakh through an online investment scam. Mridul Sur, a resident of East Midnapore in West Bengal, allegedly posed as a financial advisor using fake social media profiles and international mobile numbers to lure the victim into transferring money between July 2020 and August 2024, the deputy superintendent of police of cyber crime police station of STF Ankush Mishra said.
He informed that the accused initially offered small returns to build trust and later convinced the complainant to invest larger amounts in the name of a company called IFDCINVESTOR. He allegedly threatened and blackmailed the victim, claiming the invested money was being used for illegal activities and warned of harm if the matter was reported. Despite being served notice under Section 41 of CrPC, Mridul Sur evaded the investigation, leading to the issue of a non-bailable warrant against him. Mishra claimed that the case was registered at the Cyber Police Station in Dehradun in December 2024.
The investigation team traced the accused through bank accounts, registered mobile numbers and data obtained from service providers. He was arrested from his apartment near Eden Park in Kolkata late on Sunday. Sur was found to have used bank accounts, including one in his wife’s name, to receive and transfer the defrauded money. Police recovered a mobile phone with SIM, four cheque books, three passbooks and two ATM cards from the accused’s possession. Mishra said that further investigation is underway to trace other individuals involved in the network.
Authorities have appealed to the public to remain cautious of digital arrest scams and fraudulent investment offers, urging them to report suspicious calls, messages or financial demands to cybercrime helplines or the nearest police station. Citizens can lodge complaints through the 1930 helpline or on the website www.cybercrime.gov.in.
