Digital Arrest Scam: Maharashtra Couple Cheated of Rs 58 Crore, Five Arrested

Maharashtra Cyber Police arrested five people linked to a Rs 58 crore digital arrest scam that duped a pharma businessman and his banker wife. Scammers posed as government officials, using fake video calls of CBI offices and courts to extort money. 

Mumbai: Maharashtra Cyber Police have arrested five individuals in connection with a Rs 58 crore digital arrest scam, uncovering that Rs 15.25 crore was channeled through a bank account registered under Jai Bhavani Mechanical Works, owned by 31-year-old Jayeshbhai Dayabhai Bapa from Bhavnagar in Gujarat. The funds were dispersed through multiple intermediary accounts and shell entities. The accused, identified as Bapa, Sachin Govind Pekhale, Sheikh Fahim Sheikh Pasha, Vishal Ramesh and Bipingiri Rameshgiri Goswami, were remanded to police custody. Defense lawyers Adv Avdesh Pandey and Adv Rajan Tripathi argued their clients were arrested without proper notice and sought judicial custody.

What Is The Case About?

The fraud began when a pharmaceutical businessman and his banker wife were duped of Rs 58.13 crore by scammers posing as government officials. The perpetrators used fake video calls showing mock police stations, CBI offices, and courtrooms with actors playing judges and officers. The couple was coerced into transferring their savings under the guise of a money laundering investigation, with false promises of return after clearance.

Investigators revealed the money moved through 27 mule accounts across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan before being transferred abroad. The trail suggests links to China, Dubai, and Cambodia, indicating an international cybercrime syndicate. Total arrests in the case now stand at 26. The fraud began when a pharmaceutical businessman and his banker wife were duped of Rs 58.13 crore by scammers posing as government officials. The perpetrators used fake video calls showing mock police stations, CBI offices, and courtrooms with actors playing judges and officers. The couple was coerced into transferring their savings under the guise of a money laundering investigation, with false promises of return after clearance.