Victim Duped of Nearly Rs 1 Crore by Aadhaar ID Scammers

Hyderabad:Four persons were arrested for cybercrime by the Cyberabad cybercrime police, Bhukya Surendar, Pilli Saikumar and Yasareni Yadagiri for a courier scam and Kapil Koomar of Pune in a ‘digital arrest’ fraud.

In the first case, a 24-year-old software engineer reported receiving a fake call claiming that his Aadhaar ID was linked to illegal activities. The caller threatened that his bank accounts would be frozen unless he followed their instructions.

The scammers impersonated police officers to convince him that his accounts were in danger. They even persuaded him to apply for a loan and transfer the amount to their bank accounts. In fear, the victim shared personal details and made multiple transfers, totalling `9,99,998.

After he lodged a complaint, the police traced the money to several bank accounts. Of the accused, Yadagiri, a loan recovery agent from Siddipet, shared his account details to earn extra cash. Saikumar and Surendar assisted in the account set-up and money transfers.

In another case, the Cyberabad cybercrime police arrested Kapil Koomar of Pune for his alleged involvement in a ‘digital arrest’ fraud targeting a 40-year-old woman.

On September 2, the victim received an automated call claiming to be from the Delhi High Court regarding an issue with her name. She was connected to an individual who identified himself as Gaurav Shukla, a Delhi cop. He told her that fraudulent activities and money laundering of `25 lakh were done through her bank account. She was then transferred to another cop who falsely placed her under 24x7 surveillance in the name of a ‘digital arrest.’

Throughout the ordeal, the victim was kept under house arrest for five days with constant surveillance over social media. She paid the scamsters a total of `122 crore to various accounts.

‘King Shuk Shukla’ responsible for operating bank accounts and supplying them on a commission basis, is yet to be nabbed. Koomar was the account holder who gave his account for a commission.