PANAJI
The Goa Cyber Crime Police arrested a Maharashtrian man in connection with a Rs 60 lakh “digital arrest” fraud, in which a Panaji resident was allegedly coerced into transferring money after being threatened with a forged money-laundering case.
The case, registered on February 20, was based on a complaint alleging that the accused and his associates contacted the victim through WhatsApp calls, falsely claiming that he had taken money from them.
SP Crime Rahul Gupta told the media that the complainant was then approached by others impersonating officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation, Mumbai, and a magistrate. They allegedly told him that his personal details were linked to a money laundering case and placed him under purported “video surveillance.”
Under pressure and threats of legal action, the victim was coerced into transferring Rs 60 lakh through RTGS in two instalments to bank accounts held with ICICI Bank, the SP said.
Following a technical investigation, the police traced one suspect to Satara in Maharashtra and arrested Akshay Suresh Nikam, aged 32 years.
The officer said Nikam had received Rs 46 lakh in one of the accounts used in the fraud, which was subsequently routed to multiple accounts linked to his associates. Further analysis revealed that the same account was connected to at least 12 cyber fraud cases across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa, with a combined fraud amount of Rs 3.10 crore.
The accused has been produced before a court for police custody. Officials said further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other members of the network.
