『India』 scams, cybercrimes, digital arrest scam, fraudsters, kidnapping 2024.10.8-11.10

UP Man, 50, Goes On Blind Date, She Kidnaps Him And Demands ₹ 3 Lakh
Lallu Chaubey, a resident of Lalitpur, was held hostage in Jhansi since Thursday for a ransom of ₹ 3 lakh.

A 50-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh has been rescued and three persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly laying a honeytrap and kidnapping him for ransom.

Lallu Chaubey, a resident of Lalitpur, was held hostage in Jhansi since Thursday for a ransom of ₹ 3 lakh, police said on Saturday.

The police launched a probe after Mr Chaubey’s son filed a complaint that he had been kidnapped and that they had received a ransom call.

Out of the total ransom amount demanded, ₹ 1 lakh was already paid, the police officer said.

Multiple teams of police were formed to find the man and a constable, posing as the son of the victim, went to give the ransom.

One of the accused then took him to a place where the man was held hostage.

Several police teams also then quickly arrived there and rescued Mr Chaubey and the three accused – Kiran (35), Akhilesh Ahirwar (30), and Satish Singh Bundela (27) – were arrested.

During interrogation, the accused told the cops that they used to first make a woman call a man over the phone and ask him to meet her in Jhansi where they held him hostage.

Many women have been associated with their gang, the police said.

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北方邦 50 岁男子去相亲，被绑架并索要30万卢比

北方邦一名 50 岁男子被救出，包括一名女子在内的三人因涉嫌设下美人计绑架他索要赎金而被捕。

警方周六表示，拉利特布尔居民拉鲁·乔贝 (Lallu Chaubey) 自周四起在詹西被劫持为人质，勒索30 万印度卢比赎金。

在 Chaubey 的儿子报警称他被绑架并且警方接到了勒索电话后，警方展开了调查。

警官说，在要求的赎金总额中，已经支付了 10 万卢比。

警方派出多支警队前去寻找该男子，并有一名警员假扮受害者儿子前去支付赎金。

其中一名被告随后将他带到了该男子被劫持的地方。

随后，几支警队也迅速赶到现场，救出了 Chaubey 先生，并逮捕了三名嫌疑人——Kiran（35 岁）、Akhilesh Ahirwar（30 岁）和 Satish Singh Bundela（27 岁）。

Promised loan under govt scheme, couple duped of 2.24L

Ahmedabad couple cheated of Rs 2.24L in loan scam under stree shakti yojana

Ahmedabad: A couple residing in Chankheda were duped of Rs 2.25 lakh by two con men who lured them by promising to get them a loan under ‘Stree Shakti Yojana’, a govt business loan scheme.

The complainant, a 35-year-old woman, works at an electronics showroom while her husband works with a pharmaceutical company.

She told police that their relative told them about the govt scheme. “We were introduced to an Isanpur resident who promised to get a loan approved under the scheme. After taking our documents, including Aadhaar card, PAN card, electricity bill, caste certificate and photos, they asked us to transfer Rs 10,000. Later, in Jan, they asked us to send Rs 15,000 to a third person to prepare the loan file. Subsequently, we were told that the demand draft (DD) for the loan amount was ready and required the senior official’s signature. To expedite the process, we were asked to gift a mobile phone to the official’s wife,” she told police.

The complaint stated that the couple purchased a phone worth Rs 1.30 lakh on EMI and gave it to the official. “When we asked about progress on the matter, they kept making excuses. In Feb, they said an agreement was pending, causing the DD to be withheld.”

“They took more money as processing fees, to prepare the agreement and prepare a gumastadhara certificate from the AMC. They took another Rs 20,000 to get the DD. However, we still did not receive the loan amount,” the complainant told police.

Finally, she approached the police on Friday and registered a complaint of cheating and breach of trust against the two individuals.

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艾哈迈达巴德：一对居住在 Chankheda 的夫妇被两名骗子骗走 22.5 万卢比，骗子承诺根据“Stree Shakti Yojana”（一项政府商业贷款计划）为他们提供贷款。

投诉人是一名 35 岁的女性，在一家电子产品展示厅工作，而她的丈夫在一家制药公司工作。

她告诉警方，他们的亲戚告诉了他们有关政府计划的事情。 “我们被介绍给一位伊桑普尔居民，他承诺通过该计划获得贷款批准。在拿走了我们的文件，包括 Aadhaar 卡、PAN 卡、电费单、种姓证明和照片后，他们要求我们转账 10,000 卢比。后来，在 1 月，他们要求我们将 15,000 卢比汇给第三人，以准备贷款文件。随后，我们被告知贷款金额的即期汇票 (DD) 已经准备好，需要高级官员签字。为了加快流程，我们被要求赠送一部手机给这位官员的妻子，”她告诉警方。

投诉称，这对夫妇分期付款购买了一部价值 13 万卢比的手机，并将其交给了官员。“当我们询问此事的进展情况时，他们一直在找借口。2 月份，他们说协议尚未达成，导致 DD 被扣留。”

“他们收取了更多的钱作为手续费，以准备协议并从 AMC 准备 gumastadhara 证书。他们又拿了 2 万卢比来获得 DD。然而，我们仍然没有收到贷款金额，”投诉人告诉警方。最后，她于周五向警方报案，对这两个人进行了欺诈和背信弃义的投诉。

Conmen dupe businessman of ₹45,000 via fake Facebook profile of Bhopal top cop; arrested

Bhopal crime branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Akhil Patel told PTI that police would seek custody of the suspects to further investigate their methods.

Two people were taken into custody on Saturday for allegedly fabricating fake social media profiles of the Bhopal police commissioner and defrauding people, the police said.

The accused have been identified as Shakeel Mohammed and Sunil Prajapat. They reportedly established fraudulent profiles on Facebook, one of them included Bhopal’s top cop.

The accused were apprehended in Alwar, Rajasthan, PTI reported quoting an official.

Bhopal crime branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Akhil Patel told PTI that police would seek custody of the suspects to further investigate their methods.

According to PTI, the two accused were also wanted by the Karnataka police for similar offences involving the impersonation of a superintendent of police online.

They allegedly curated fake profiles using the name and image of Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra to deceive the public.

Impersonating profiles: What is the scam

The scam was uncovered on November 5 when a 48-year-old businessman reported the incident to the cybercrime cell, claiming he was swindled out of ₹45,000 by someone using a profile showcasing the commissioner in uniform.

The complainant recounted that he received a Facebook message indicating that the police chief was selling his old furniture, prompting him to pay through an online QR code.

According to a crime branch release, authorities have recovered four mobile phones, three SIM cards, and ₹5,000 in cash from the accused.

In another incident, two people have complained to the police here that they have collectively lost about ₹95 lakh to cyber fraudsters after they fell prey to fake videos allegedly featuring two top businessmen.

In both cases, the complainants didn’t check the authenticity of the alleged videos and ended up clicking some suspicious links which led them to fake websites created by fraudsters to cheat people and make money on promises of giving them higher returns, they said on Monday.

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骗子通过虚假的博帕尔高级警官 Facebook 个人资料骗取商人45,000卢比；被捕

嫌疑人已被确定为 Shakeel Mohammed 和 Sunil Prajapat。据报道，他们在 Facebook 上建立了虚假个人资料，其中一个个人资料中包括博帕尔的高级警官。

据称，他们利用博帕尔警察局局长哈里纳拉亚纳查里·米什拉 (Harinarayanachari Mishra) 的姓名和形象制作虚假资料来欺骗公众。

11 月 5 日，一名 48 岁的商人向网络犯罪部门举报了这一骗局，声称有人使用一张展示身着制服的专员的个人资料骗取了他45,000卢比，从而发现了这一骗局。

投诉人回忆说，他收到一条 Facebook 消息，表示警察局长正在出售他的旧家具，并提示他通过在线二维码付款。

Delhi Police bust online fraud: 3 arrested in connection with Rs 23.90 lakh investment scam

NEW DELHI: Three men who were duping people under the pretext of high returns from investment were arrested. The complainant, Ankit, alleged that he was scammed during a phone call in which he was promised huge profits for investing in a company. He deposited Rs 23.90 lakh into the provided accounts and lost all his money. Feeling cheated, he filed a complaint on the NCRP portal.

Deputy commissioner of police (Outer North) Nidhin Valsan formed a team under SHO (Cyber) Raman Kumar Singh.

Based on information, the team conducted continuous raids in various locations in Gujarat and apprehended two cyber criminals who were attending the inauguration of a newly opened shop selling readymade garments and accessories in Kheralu village, Vadnagar, Gujarat.

The cyber criminals are Karan Dabhi (23) and Ankit Dabhi (22). Two mobile phones containing evidence linking them to the crime were recovered. It was revealed that the readymade garments and accessories were purchased with the defrauded money by the ringleader, Prakash, and the shop inauguration ceremony was scheduled to take place in the name of his deceased wife, on Oct 24.

Another accused, Suresh Thakor (26), was arrested earlier in this case and has been in judicial custody since September 11, 2024. Police stated that the accused call people using fake numbers, tricking them into investing in various schemes with promises of huge profits. They then ask the victims to open a Demat account and transfer the call to another accomplice.

“The next caller asks the victims to transfer money to fake accounts, promising huge profits. Eventually, all the money is lost, and no profit is returned. The criminals use fake SIM cards and fake accounts belonging to labourers,” police said.

Two of the accused are diploma holders in ITI from Gujarat. They used to call people to invest money in different commodities. “Ankit is the younger brother of kingpin Prakash. His father is posted as a GRD (Gram Rakshak Dal) Assistant at the Vadnagar police station,” police said.

Suresh worked in a factory and acted as the middleman for kingpin Prakash, arranging fake accounts. He would collect cash through ATM withdrawals and hand it over to Prakash.

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德里警方破获网络诈骗案：3 名涉案人员因涉嫌 239 万卢比投资诈骗被捕

新德里：三名以高额投资回报为借口诈骗他人的男子被逮捕。投诉人安基特称，他被电话骗了，对方承诺投资一家公司会给他带来巨额利润。他向对方提供的账户存入了 239 万卢比，结果钱全都输了。

副警察局长尼丁·瓦尔桑在网络警察拉曼·库马尔·辛格的领导下组建了一支队伍。根据掌握的信息，该队伍在古吉拉特邦各地连续搜查，抓获了两名网络罪犯，他们当时正参加在古吉拉特邦瓦德纳加尔Kheralu 村新开的一家成衣和配饰商店的开业典礼。网络罪犯分别是卡兰·达比（23 岁）和安基特·达比（22 岁）。两部手机被追回，其中有他们与犯罪有关的证据。经查，该犯罪团伙主谋普拉卡什用骗取的钱财购买了这些成衣和配饰，并计划于10月24日以其亡妻的名义举行店铺开业典礼。

Cops arrest 4 for BMC’s fire dept recruitment fraud

Mumbai: The Agripada police on Friday arrested four individuals, including two BMC employees, who were involved in a fake recruitment scam in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) Fire Brigade department. They cheated 61 aspiring candidates by issuing bogus appointment letters and extorted large sums of money.

The four arrested individuals have been identified as fire officers Dattatray Pawar (36) and Devidas Dattatray Waghmare (36), along with two private individuals, Ajay Ahire (30) and Arjun Patil (29).

In July, the police registered an offence of fraud involving five officials who allegedly conspired with other accused individuals to defraud 61 aspiring candidates. The complaint was filed by Fire Brigade Divisional Officer Ramesh Bhor, alleging fraud in the recruitment drive.

Investigation revealed that one of the accused, Rupesh Patil, a former clerk appointed for the recruitment drive, allegedly collected Rs 2.3 crore from the victims.

The complaint details a recruitment drive conducted in 2023 for 910 firefighter positions. Of 42,534 applicants, 18,481 passed the initial tests. A final list of 873 successful candidates was published on the municipal corporation’s website on May 11, 2023. From this list, 550 candidates were invited for training in the first batch, of which 508 attended. Ultimately, 490 candidates completed the first batch of training, and 247 completed the second batch.

A waiting list of 277 candidates was created and kept in a confidential report, valid until November 2023. The accused allegedly fabricated and issued fake appointment letters for firefighter positions and promised permanent jobs through false medical examination results and fake appointment letters. On learning about the scam, the victims approached the police and lodged their complaints.

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警方逮捕 4 名涉嫌 BMC 消防部门招聘欺诈人员

阿格里帕达警方逮捕了四名涉嫌在孟买市政公司消防队实施虚假招聘诈骗的人员，其中包括两名孟买市政公司员工。他们通过发布虚假的任命书欺骗了 61 名应聘者并勒索巨额资金。

被告涉嫌伪造和签发消防员职位的任命书，并通过虚假的体检结果和虚假的任命书承诺提供永久性工作。受害者在了解到这一骗局后，向警方报案。

Online share trading scam: Six held by T.N. police for duping man of ₹14 crore
“Cybercriminals, forming a group via WhatsApp, have created share investment apps, misleading people into believing they can earn up to 500 times their investment by trading shares online,” said Additional Director General of Police, Cyber Crime, Sandeep Mittal

The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police has busted a six-member gang reportedly involved in running an online share trading scam and duping a person of ₹14 crore.

Additional Director General of Police, Cyber Crime, Sandeep Mittal, said the online trading scam involved “fraudulent individuals misleading victims into investing in fake share trading opportunities, promising high returns.”

“Cybercriminals, forming a group via WhatsApp, have created share investment apps, misleading people into believing they can earn up to 500 times their investment by trading shares online. They have circulated false information suggesting that many people are making significant profits through these apps, thereby cheating the public under the guise of online share trading,” he said in a statement.

The police said the complainant in this case was contacted via WhatsApp by a member of the gang in April, introducing himself as someone who represented an institution called Black Rock Asset Management Business School. He falsely claimed that investing in Black Rock would yield a 500% profit within two months, while also stating that the company was SEBI-approved.

The man convinced the complainant to invest with a stipulation that he must pay a 20% service charge on the profits generated from the investment. The complainant was then persuaded to download a mobile app through a link and subsequently invested ₹14 crore into various bank accounts, the police said.

When the complainant realised that the invested money was not being returned, he filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Based on this, an FIR was registered at Cyber Crime Wing Headquarters, Chennai – SCCIC (State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre), and the police retrieved the money from 13 bank accounts.

After analysing the call records and money trail, the special team of police arrested V. Subramanian, 39, from Chengalpattu, who is the first-layer beneficiary ICICI Bank account holder of the fraudulent transaction of ₹21.5 lakh.

Based on his confession, the other suspects were arrested. They are: M. Madan, 43, from Neelankarai, who owns a chit company in T. Nagar; R. Saravanapriyan, 34, from Thiruvallur, who is an associate producer in the film industry; Sathish Singh, 46, from Avadi, who is an associate of Saravanapriyan; Shafahed, 38, from Pulianthope, who owns a shop that converts currency; and D. Manikandan, 30, from Madurai, who previously worked at a cine producer’s office in Chennai.

Additionally, two cryptocurrency wallet accounts were frozen. Action is being taken to arrest a gang based in north India that allegedly masterminded these cybercrimes and recover the defrauded money, said Mr. Mittal.

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印度泰米尔纳德邦警察局网络犯罪部门破获了一个由六人组成的团伙，据报道，该团伙涉嫌实施网上股票交易诈骗，并骗取一名个人 1.4 亿印度卢比。
网络犯罪警察局副局长桑迪普·米塔尔 (Sandeep Mittal) 表示：“网络犯罪分子通过 WhatsApp 组建了一个团伙，创建了股票投资应用程序，误导人们相信他们可以通过在线股票交易获得高达 500 倍的投资收益。”

Retired UP government official duped of Rs 60 lakh in digital arrest scam
The victim, Pritam Singh Chauhan, a retired officer from the Food Corporation of India and a resident of Ghaziabad, detailed how the accused contacted him via a video call on October 10, impersonating cybercrime officials.

In Short
Scammers posed as Delhi Crime Branch officers
Victim falsely accused of money laundering and child trafficking
Pressured into transferring money to avoid fake arrest

A retired government official in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad was duped of Rs 60 lakh after cybercriminals falsely accused him of money laundering and kept him under “digital arrest” for six days. The accused posed as officers from Delhi’s Crime Branch and coerced the victim into transferring the money to multiple bank accounts.

The victim, Pritam Singh Chauhan, a retired officer from the Food Corporation of India and a resident of Ghaziabad, reported the crime to the cyber police.

In his FIR, Chauhan detailed how the accused contacted him via a video call on October 10, impersonating cybercrime officials. They falsely accused him of being part of a child trafficking ring, claiming that Rs 68 crore had been transferred through an account opened in his name, including Rs 68 lakh tied to child trafficking activities.

The accused told Chauhan that the CBI had already registered a money laundering case against him and that his arrest was imminent. To avoid arrest, they offered their “assistance” but warned him not to share any information about the case with anyone. Over six days, they pressured him into transferring more than Rs 60 lakh to various accounts as a “security deposit” to prevent his arrest.

Even after securing the money, the scammers demanded an additional Rs 50 lakh and sent him a fake court notice to further intimidate him. When Chauhan was unable to gather more funds, he realized he had been duped and reported the incident to the Ghaziabad Cyber Crime Police.

Santosh Tiwari, in charge of the cybercrime police station, confirmed that an FIR has been lodged, and an investigation is underway. The police are tracing the accounts involved in the scam and are making efforts to arrest those responsible.

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北方邦退休政府官员因数字逮捕骗局被骗 600 万卢比
受害者名叫 Pritam Singh Chauhan，是印度食品公司的退休官员，居住在加济阿巴德。犯罪分子假扮德里犯罪调查部门的警官，强迫受害者将钱转入多个银行账户。他们诬告他是儿童贩卖团伙的成员，声称有 6.8 亿卢比通过以他名义开设的账户转账，其中 680 万卢比与儿童贩卖活动有关。
被告告诉 Chauhan，印度中央调查局已经对他立案，指控他洗钱，他即将被捕。为了避免被捕，他们主动提出“帮助”，但警告他不要与任何人分享有关案件的任何信息。六天来，他们迫使他将超过 600 万卢比的资金转入各种账户作为“保证金”，以防止他被捕。
即使在拿到钱之后，骗子们还要求他再支付 500 万卢比，并向他发送了虚假的法庭通知，以进一步恐吓他。当 Chauhan 无法筹集更多资金时，他意识到自己被骗了，并向加济阿巴德网络犯罪警察局报告了此事。

Woman, 4 other cheat contractor of 6 acres

Bengaluru: A five-member gang led by a homemaker landed in police custody for allegedly cheating a 67-year-old contractor of over six acres of land on the pretext of selling their five ‘rice-pulling’ vessels in his name and helping him earn Rs 30 lakh crore.
The accused are Nagarathna of Channarayapatna, Ramachandra of Holenarasipura, and Sukumar, Natesh, and Manjunath, all three from Bengaluru.

They were arrested following a complaint filed by contractor V Kantaraju of Hennur with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) last month.

According to Kantaraju, Nagarathna, in Aug 2021, promised him good fortune by purchasing the vessel possessed by the gang. “Besides my contract business, I’m interested in the crude oil. Knowing this, one of my friends introduced me to Nagarathna, who claimed to be a petrol bunk owner and had political contacts.

“Then she promised to help me in getting the crude oil business,” Kantaraju said.

Meanwhile, Nagarathna told Kantaraju that he needed thousands of crores of rupees to get into the crude oil business. “I have five rice-pulling vessels which work on beta and gamma rays and are capable of producing lakhs of crores of rupees,” Nagarathna said and offered to him the vessels.

In Nov 2021, the gang took Kantaraju to a hotel room in Yeshwantpur, where they promised to sell the five rice-pulling vessels on his behalf and pay him. They said the vessels would fetch Rs 30 lakh crore.

“In return, they asked me to transfer my lands (two acres near Nelamangala and four acres near Kanakapura) to their names. Trusting them, I transferred the land to their names. They transferred Rs 60 lakh to my bank account saying I could keep it,” Kantaraju said.

A few days later, they requested Kantaraju to transfer back the cash to their accounts, saying they would soon sell the vessels for around Rs 30 lakh crore. Trusting them, Kantaraju transferred back the entire Rs 60 lakh, and since then, the accused became incommunicado.

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班加罗尔：一名家庭主妇领导的五人团伙因涉嫌以67 岁承包商的名义出售五艘“拉米船”帮助他赚取 300 亿卢比，骗取了超过六英亩的土地而被警方拘留。被告是Channarayapatna 的Nagarathna、Holenarasipura 的 Ramachandra 以及班加罗尔的 Sukumar、Natesh 和 Manjunath。

4 Taiwanese men among 17 held for ‘digital arrest’ fraud in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad cybercrime branch arrested 17 people, including four Taiwanese nationals, for running a ‘digital arrest’ racket. Victims were confined and forced to transfer large sums of money. The racket involved using apps to transfer money to accounts in Dubai. Police recovered cash, sim cards, mobiles, cheque books, credit cards, and bank passbooks.

AHMEDABAD: Seventeen individuals, including four from Taiwan, were arrested by Ahmedabad cybercrime branch on Monday for allegedly operating a nationwide “digital arrest” racket.

The modus operandi involves asking the victim to remain in confinement and accessible to fraudsters via video calls and other online tools. The victim is then coerced into transferring large sums of money into various bank accounts to be released.

The gang had “digitally arrested” a senior citizen for 10 days, monitored him via video calls, and compelled him to deposit Rs 79.34 lakh as “refundable” processing fees to resolve a “Reserve Bank of India issue,” said Joint Commissioner (Crime) Sharad Singhal.

The senior citizen filed a complaint, stating individuals posing as officials from TRAI, CBI and cybercrime branch alleged his account was being used for illegal transactions and made him deposit the money.

Following his complaint, police teams raided several locations in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra and apprehended the accused.

“We believe they may have targeted around 1,000 individuals so far,” Singhal said.

The four Taiwanese nationals have been identified as Mu Chi Sung (42), Chang Hu Yun (33), Wang Chun Wei (26) and Shen Wei (35), while the remaining 13 are from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan, he added.

“Cybercrime police teams conducted simultaneous operations in Delhi and Bangalore. Mu Chi Sung and Chang Hu Yun were apprehended at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi while Wang Chun Wei and Shen Wei were arrested in Bangalore,” a cybercrime officer said.

The four Taiwanese nationals had been visiting India for the past year and had provided mobile apps and other technical support to gang members to transfer money from one account to another.

“The mobile app used by the gang was developed by the Taiwanese men. They also integrated online wallets into their system. Money received from victims was transferred to other bank accounts and crypto accounts in Dubai using this app. They received a commission through hawala on the money routed through that app,” said Singhal.

Video calls were made to the victims from call centres designed to resemble real offices of probe agencies, Singhal said. Police recovered Rs 12.75 lakh in cash, 761 sim cards, 120 mobiles, 96 cheque books, 92 debit and credit cards and 42 bank passbooks.

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17, including four Taiwanese nationals arrested for running ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud gang
Later, technical analysis revealed that more than 120 mobiles were connected to it and such setups were operational in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Ahmedabad: The Cyber Crime Branch of Ahmedabad police on Monday arrested 17 people including four Taiwanese nationals from different cities in a crackdown on cyber crime network which used to con victims by placing them under “digital arrest.”

“Digital arrest” is a modus operandi of the cyber criminals claiming to be enforcement officers probing money laundering or anti-national activities. They would force the victims to be accessible via video or audio call round the clock while claiming to be investigating the crime.

In this case, the complainant and his wife were “digitally arrested” for ten days through video calls. The conmen claimed themselves as officials from TRAI, CBI and officers from Mumbai Cyber Crime and said that an FIR was registered against the duo in Byculla Police Station. The couple was told that an arrest warrant had also been issued against him.

The victim was made to deposit Rs 79.34 lakh in the conman’s account, which they claimed, was refundable after completing an inquiry by the RBI. The money, police investigation found, was deposited in different bank accounts located in Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Limbdi in Gujarat and different parts of Rajasthan, Delhi and Odisha.

After receiving the complaint and inputs, the cyber crime branch team raided places in Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha and Maharashtra and arrested 17 persons, including four Taiwanese nationals.

The Taiwan natives have been identified as Mu Chi Sung, 42, Chang Hu Yun, 33, Wang Chun Wei, 26, and Shen Wei, 35. They were arrested from Delhi and Bengaluru. Police said that the Taiwanese had allegedly “rented” bank accounts from several agents and facilitated technical expertise. The police found a new modus operandi of racket. They were using rooted mobiles, which connected to routers passing OTP links of various bank accounts to Taiwanese Gmail IDs.

Later, technical analysis revealed that more than 120 mobiles were connected to it and such setups were operational in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The team raided various locations in these cities and arrested one of the prime accused identified as Saif Haider. He is alleged to have been in direct contact with one of the Taiwanese citizens.

Police have recovered Rs 12.75 lakh in cash, 761 SIM cards, 120 mobile phones, 96 cheque books, 92 debit and credit cards and 42 bank passbooks related to accounts taken on rent to make transactions.

The Taiwanese nationals are alleged to have integrated online wallets in their system. They would receive money from victims and transfer them to different bank accounts as well as crypto accounts in Dubai using this app.

—

超過千人受害！「4台灣人」印度大搞詐騙　姓名全被公開

印度艾哈邁達巴德（Ahmedabad）警方於14日破獲一個詐騙集團，成功逮捕17名嫌犯，其中還包含4名台灣人。當地警方表示，該集團涉嫌運作一個全國性的詐騙網絡，他們要求受害者通過視訊通話等方式保持聯繫，並迫使受害者將大量資金轉入多個銀行帳戶，以換取「無罪」。

根據印度媒體報導指出，艾哈邁達巴德網絡犯罪警察局表示，這些台灣人分別為穆啟松（音譯，Mu Chi Sung，42歲）、張昊雲（音譯，Chang Hu Yun，33歲）、王俊威（音譯，Wang Chun Wei，26歲）和沈威（音譯，Shen Wei，35歲），其餘13名嫌犯來自古吉拉特邦（Gujarat）、馬哈拉施特拉邦（Maharashtra）、賈坎德邦（Jharkhand）、奧里薩邦（Odisha）和拉賈斯坦邦（Rajasthan）。

警方表示，詐騙集團冒充印度電信管理局（Telecom Regulatory Authority of India，TRAI）、印度中央調查局（Central Bureau of Investigation，CBI）以及孟買刑事分局等多個政府部門的官員，對受害者進行恐嚇，稱其銀行帳戶涉嫌非法交易，並要求支付一筆79.34萬盧比的「可退還」處理費，以此來解決印度儲備銀行（Reserve Bank of India，RBI）有關的問題。詐團成員會透過視訊電話來監控受害者，受害者也因此被「網路逮捕」長達十天。

後續有受害者報案後，印度警方展開多次突襲行動，當中包含古吉拉特邦、德里（Delhi）、拉賈斯坦邦、卡納塔克邦（Karnataka）、奧里薩邦及馬哈拉施特拉邦等地，最終抓獲了17名嫌疑人。

其中，兩名台灣人穆啟松和張昊雲在德里的泰姬宮酒店（Taj Palace Hotel）被捕，而另外兩名台灣人王俊威和沈威則在班加羅爾（Bangalore）被逮捕。

印度警方還發現，台灣籍嫌犯還對詐騙集團提供技術支援，包含開發一款用於轉移資金的手機應用程式，該應用程式還整合電子錢包，方便將詐騙所得轉入其他銀行帳戶或杜拜的加密貨幣帳戶，最後通過地下匯款方式獲取佣金。

艾哈邁達巴德網絡犯罪警察局副局長辛格哈爾（Sharad Singhal）表示，根據目前調查結果，這個詐騙集團可能已經針對約1000名受害者進行詐騙。

在這次的逮捕行動中，印度警方查獲現金12.75萬盧比、761張SIM卡、120部手機、96本支票簿、92張借記卡和信用卡，以及42本與租賃的銀行存摺。

警方還逮捕主嫌之一的海德（Saif Haider），他與穆啟松有直接聯繫。警方表示，穆啟松負責提供手機、路由器等設備，並從台灣帶來必要的裝置來安裝這些設備。

警方也發現，穆啟松曾前往柬埔寨、杜拜、中國以及班加羅爾、德里和孟買等印度多個城市。最近一次訪印期間，穆啟松和張昊雲計劃擴大業務範圍，從印度代理人那邊大量收集租賃帳戶，用於非法博彩網站和網絡詐騙活動，沒想到還沒完成就遭到警方逮捕。

I thought it was a scam call until I didn’t: Journalist’s digital arrest ordeal
A journalist received a call from a courier company claiming her Aadhaar number was linked to a parcel containing drugs. What followed was an hours-long ordeal that made the journalist feel as though she was being held digitally hostage by scammers.

The Aaj Tak journalist narrated her ordeal, alerting others so that they do not fall in traps set by cyber fraudsters. (AI generated image)

This is a first-person account by Richa Mishra, a Senior Assistant Editor at AajTak.in, India Today’s sister channel.

Saturday, October 5. It was 12.15 pm when I received a call from an unknown number (+00918380889795). The voice on the other end was a recorded message: “This call is from FedEx Courier Company. Press 1 for details of your courier. Press 2 for tracking updates”.

Hearing the word “courier” surprised me a bit, but I thought perhaps it was related to a parcel from the office or an Amazon order I had placed a few days ago. Thinking this, I pressed 1. That was my first mistake, and from then on, one mistake followed another. By the time I realised what was happening, I had endured hours of fear, trauma, and mental torture. Despite knowing all about cyber fraud, I had been digitally trapped.

The trouble began with pressing that number. As soon as I did, a voice said, “I am Karan Verma from FedEx Courier Company. How can I help you?” I replied, “Sir, I got a call. I haven’t sent any courier, but if someone has sent one to me, please tell me the details.”

Karan Verma put me on hold. After a while, he returned, saying, “Ma’am, you have sent the courier. You are the sender.”

Angry, I said, “I haven’t sent any courier. Stop making fake calls.”

He then said, “Ma’am, your courier has been seized at Mumbai airport.”

I laughed and replied, “Sir, tell this to someone else. I didn’t send a courier, so why would it be seized?”

In a more serious tone, he said, “Your courier was being sent from Mumbai to Taiwan. Suspicious items were found, which is why it was seized. Your Aadhaar card is linked to this; this call was made after verification. I can understand you might not have sent it, but it seems like your Aadhaar card has been misused. You should file a complaint. FedEx will also need to send this complaint to the Mumbai Police.”

His tone was so serious that I started believing something was wrong. I asked him, “What should I do?” He replied, “Your entire call is being recorded. After the beep, you have to say that you have nothing to do with the courier. We will send this recording to the Mumbai Police.”

I repeated what I was told: “I have nothing to do with any FedEx courier. Mumbai Police, please help me. My Aadhaar card has been misused.”

I thought it was over, but then Karan Verma dropped another bombshell: “You also need to speak with the Mumbai Police. We need a clarification note.”

Now, I was annoyed. “Sir, I don’t know anything about this courier. I did what you asked. Can I go now?”

But Karan Verma insisted, “Ma’am, this is important for your future. The clarification is crucial regarding the contents of the courier.”

For the first time, I felt a chill. I asked, “What’s in the courier?”

At that moment, he sensed my fear, and that’s when I was digitally trapped. The mental torture that followed would last for hours. Even as I sit in my office, writing this account, I still fear my ID may have been misused.

Karan Verma said, “Madam, I am transferring your call to the Mumbai Police. You can file your complaint with them. Please write down the details of the courier.”

I started writing…

Details of the item:

Department: FedEx Courier Company
Customer care: Karan Verma
Receiver: Zhang Lin
Mobile number: +8862737889
Receiver address: House No. 112/3, Sanbei Road, Taipei City, Datong District, Taiwan, 104001
Parcel tracking ID: 728932129197
Parcel contents: 5 passports, 3 bank credit cards, 4 kg of cloth, 1 HP laptop, 200 grams of MDMA
ICICI bank credit card last digits: 1551
Payment: Rs 16,754

While writing the details, I said, “This isn’t my credit card, nor do I know anyone in Taiwan. And what is MDMA?”

His answer left me shaken: “That’s drugs, ma’am. That’s why we contacted you. Your Aadhaar card may have fallen into the wrong hands.”

Hearing the word “drugs” shocked me. The conversation was so smooth that I felt it was necessary to file a complaint, just like when you report a stolen car. I said, “Please transfer the call. I will speak to the Mumbai Police.”

As Karan Verma transferred the call, he added, “After filing the complaint, please get a clarification note from the Mumbai Police. Otherwise, this issue will trouble you in the future.” His professional tone reassured me, and I waited for the transfer.

On the other side, the background noise changed—chaotic, like a police control room. A deep voice said, “I am Vinay Kumar Chaudhary from the Mumbai Police. Tell me, why did you call?” I explained the FedEx call to him. He assured me of help, much like Karan Verma did. He asked for my name and Aadhaar number. After putting me on hold for a bit, the tone changed, and I was interrogated as if I had committed a crime.

“You sent this courier. Are you involved in drug trafficking?”

“Which drugs? I don’t know anything about a courier. I don’t even live in Mumbai. Why would I send it?”

“Who will believe you? The name and Aadhaar are yours. If you are innocent, you will have to file a complaint.”

“That’s why I’m talking to you. FedEx told me they need a clarification note.”

“Okay, come to the Mumbai office.”

“Sir, I’m in Delhi. I can’t come to Mumbai.”

“Then file a complaint via an online video call. It will be recorded. Come on Skype.”

“I don’t have Skype. Can we use Zoom?”

“No. Download Skype immediately.”

The tone was commanding, like an officer giving orders. Fearfully, I assumed the situation was serious. I downloaded Skype while the call continued. Then a strange question was asked.

“Are you using Wi-Fi or data?”

“Wi-Fi.”

“Okay, turn off your data and put your phone on flight mode. If anyone interrupts the call, action will be taken against you.”

Scared, I agreed. “Okay, sir, I’ll take care.”

“Where are you? Home or office?”

“At home.”

“Who’s there with you? How many people?”

“No one’s home.”

The entire house was inspected on video call—doors closed, curtains drawn. Even my phone was put on charge as instructed. There was no time to think or question anything. I followed every command like a robot.

After the inspection, I was asked to click on “Mumbai 911” for a search. A man in a blue uniform appeared on camera—Vinay Kumar Chaudhary. He said, “You were talking to me on the phone. Now your statement will be recorded.” I was ready. He asked me to recount the entire incident and list the items. When I mentioned the 200 grams of MDMA, he snapped at me: “Do you know what that is? You were sending drugs.”

I insisted, “Sir, I didn’t send anything. I only just found out these are drugs.”

He shouted, “You’re lying. We are checking your Aadhaar across departments. The report will come soon, and we’ll know what you’ve done.” The camera suddenly switched off. I asked why, and a voice replied, “Serious information has come up about you. I need to take this to my superior. Stay on the line, and don’t move. Every 10 seconds, you must say, ‘I am here, sir’.”

Two minutes later, a new voice came on the line: “There’s a money laundering case against you. You embezzled Rs 2 crore with Panjapati Syed.”

I was asked for my bank details, how much cash and gold I had at home. When I couldn’t provide much, the voice grew angrier. Documents with four people’s faces, including two arrests, were sent to me on Skype. An arrest warrant was issued in my name too.

FAKE ARREST PAPERS

I was on the phone with the ‘Mumbai Police’, who accused me not only of drug smuggling but also of money laundering. On a Saturday afternoon, I had suddenly gone from a journalist to a criminal.

I was interrogated the same way. I had a bank account at the Bank of Baroda, and they gave me a detailed list of supposed financial manipulations. I was crying, but there was no mercy. The crime was too serious. One charge followed another, each accompanied by “evidence”.

Then the tone softened, as if I was being given a chance to defend myself. “Cooperate with the police, and the investigation will take seven days. You must have given your Aadhaar to someone in a café, and that’s how it got misused. Do you suspect anyone? Have you had any altercations?”

I denied everything.

They said from that side that this is a massive scam, worth crores. Two people have been arrested in this case, and your name is involved. If you cooperate with the investigation, you may get some relief. They also said your family is in danger. The scammers have been keeping an eye on your family. We have information about your house and office. If you disclose any details of this investigation to anyone, you will be jailed for two years. If the drug case is confirmed, you face 15 years in prison.

With the stern police tone in the background, amid the noise of the control room, everything seemed so real that even if you were innocent, you’d believe you were a drug smuggler. I was convinced that after this, no weekend would bring me peace, shopping, good food, or fresh air.

On the phone, you’re given a format: your name, location, what you’re doing, how much money you’ve spent. All your accounts are frozen. You can’t spend any money, nor can any be withdrawn. We know your every move. (What shocked me most was that they knew my office timings—they had my exact schedule. This convinced me everything was true).

After this 1-hour 30-minutes video call, I was told to hang up.

I put down the phone like a robot. The call ended, but I couldn’t make sense of anything. It felt like a mental jammer was blocking all my thoughts. Somehow, I realised that since I was on the verge of losing everything, I should at least tell someone. I thought of calling a relative. Then I remembered that my calls might be traced.

With the doors and windows closed, I carefully wrote down the entire incident and told one of my relatives over a video call. He was shocked and immediately called me on WhatsApp. He told me it was all fake — a trap. But my mind refused to believe it. On his advice, I called the cybercrime unit, where I was instructed to submit a written report. Even after trying through the website, I couldn’t register my complaint.

Next, I called a senior colleague from my office. He also said this was a widespread issue, happening to many people.

“It’s a scam. Don’t be afraid,” he reassured me.

But I was still stuck in the fear-filled trance. I told him everything was true and only called to make sure my situation didn’t cause problems for the office. But as he kept explaining, sharing similar cases of courier scams involving fake police and judges, I realised I was indeed caught in a trap. He urged me to file a cybercrime complaint.

When I called 112, the police arrived quickly. They, too, confirmed it was a scam and advised reporting it to cybercrime or visiting a police station.

The entire day passed in fear. Sunday, October 6th. Around noon, I received the same call (08380726430). This time, they sent a clarification note, claiming to be from Mumbai Police.

“This is Karan Verma from FedEx Courier,” the caller said. But now, I was prepared, and the conversation didn’t go any further.

As I write this now, I realise how dangerous this mental torture was. Reading about such scams, you wonder how people fall into these traps. But I don’t know what happened to me that afternoon. I, who had always warned others about such frauds, was mentally tortured for hours. The feeling of being digitally arrested and the fear still linger. Be alert. These scammers prey on your fear, making you lose your ability to think clearly. I’m writing this to warn others to stay vigilant.

In a statement, FedEx said, “FedEx does not request personal information through unsolicited phone calls, mail, or email for goods being shipped or held, unless requested or initiated by customers. If any individual receives any suspicious phone calls or messages, they are advised not to provide their personal information. Instead, they should immediately contact the local law enforcement authorities within the vicinity or report to the cybercrime department of the Government of India.”

—

我以为这是诈骗电话，后来才知道不是：记者被网络逮捕的痛苦经历
一名记者接到一家快递公司的电话，声称她的 Aadhaar 号码与一个装有毒品的包裹有关。接下来的几个小时里，这位记者经历了一场折磨，感觉自己就像被骗子绑架了一样。

Aaj Tak 记者讲述了自己的遭遇，提醒其他人不要落入网络诈骗分子设置的陷阱。
这是印度今日姊妹频道 AajTak.in 的高级助理编辑 Richa Mishra 的第一人称叙述。