Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested a woman and her son from Uttar Pradesh in connection with a digital arrest case wherein they duped a Bhubaneswar resident of Rs1.38 crore in May this year, official sources said, Saturday.
“Neelam Aggarwal and her son Vansh Aggarwal have been taken into custody from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh December 27. They were part of a wider network of cyber fraudsters,” investigators said.
About the crackdown, the Crime Branch said a senior citizen of Bhubaneswar approached the cyber police station May 22 this year alleging that he received calls from unknown numbers wherein the callers identified themselves as personnel from Fedex courier and Mumbai Cyber Crime.
“The callers claimed that the Bhubaneswar resident could be arrested and jailed for years as his Aadhaar details were found to have been used in money laundering. Calling it a way to evade arrest and settle the case as well as a method of identity verification, the crooks asked the senior citizen to transfer whatever money he had in his bank accounts to accounts shared by them. They also assured that the entire amount would be transferred back to his account after completion of the verification process,” the investigators said.
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“With no way out, the victim transferred around `1.38 crore in his and his wife’s accounts to multiple accounts of the fraudsters between May 14 and 18 this year,” they said.
After realising the fraud, the victim lodged a complaint with the cyber police who registered a case (28/2024) under Sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 384, 120-B and 34 of the IPC and 66C and 66D of the IT Act, 2000.
During probe, investigators learnt that Rs1.38 crore was deposited in three bank accounts. “Out of it, Rs1.12 crore was deposited in account of Vansheel Software Private Limited in Ghaziabad whose proprietors were Neelam and Vansh,” they said.
A Crime Branch team, led by inspector Anila Anand, reached UP and arrested the two from Vijay Nagar police station area and brought them to Odisha on transit remand December 27.
“The duo had created around 13 accounts for siphoning off the defrauded amount. All the accounts were created at different branches of PNB and SBI in Meerut, UP.
The accused were previously arrested by Mandir Marg Cyber Crime police station in New Delhi in a similar case this year where they defrauded a man of Rs63 lakh,” the investigators said.
On verification through National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), it has been ascertained that the duo is involved in more than 15 cases in different states across the country, they added.
PNN
