Cybercrime police arrest gang for swindling 88L from retired officer

Chennai: The cybercrime police have arrested a four-member gang on charges of swindling 88 lakh from a retired administrative officer. In his complaint, the officer stated that fraudsters posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Mumbai police had deceived him.On Sept 3, he received a WhatsApp call from an unknown number, with the caller claiming to be a senior TRAI official. The caller told him that he was under digital arrest and asked him to transfer 88 lakh.Based on the victim's complaint, a special team was sent to Guwahati in Assam, where they arrested the prime suspect, Partha Pratim Bora, on Nov 14. Investigations revealed that Bora had received a total of 3.8 crore in similar fraudulent transactions in eight separate instances. Based on his confession, four others –Dhrubajyoti Mazumdar, 25, Swaraj Pradhan, 22, Prashant Giri, 21, and Pranjal Hazarika, 28 – were arrested. They were intermediaries between the fraudsters and the victims. They facilitated transfer of funds and helped manage the fraudulent operations.Investigations revealed that the syndicate operated globally, with agents in countries like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand, mostly led by Chinese nationals. The suspects were found to be collaborating with face-to-face agents in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Jaipur, who helped execute the fraud.Electronic devices used in the crime were seized. The arrested suspects were brought to Chennai and remanded in judicial custody.Chennai police commissioner A Arun appealed to the public to be cautious about fake calls from Mumbai police, digital arrests, high-profit investment schemes, and fraudulent apps and websites. He appealed to people not to transfer money into unknown bank accounts and to report any incidents of fraud immediately through the cybercrime helpline (1930) or the website https://cybercrime.gov.in.