Five including two Yes Bank staff arrested in Rs 96 lakh digital arrest fraud targeting elderly Delhi couple. (Representative Image)
Last year, in October, an 80-year-old man in Delhi and his wife allegedly lost all their life savings, and even took a gold loan after he was duped via WhatsApp by fraudsters impersonating CBI officials, told that his mobile number and Aadhaar credentials were linked to illegal activities, and faced ‘digital arrest’ for nearly a week. More than two months after the Delhi Police registered a case in the Rs 96-lakh fraud, officers on Friday said that five persons, including two officials of Yes Bank, have been arrested in the cyberfraud case.
Police said Pradeep Kumar, Namandeep Malik, Shashikant Pattanayak, and two Yes Bank officials — Nilesh Kumar and Chandan Kumat — were all involved in the fraud. “The syndicate impersonated officials from the Delhi Police, CBI, Customs, and other government bodies. They would inform victims that multiple FIRs were registered against them and instruct them to transfer their savings into specified ‘RBI mandated accounts’ for verification,” DCP Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) Vinit Kumar said.
He added that Yes Bank officials of West Delhi’s Tilak Nagar Branch — Nilesh Kumar, Senior Sales Manager, and Chandan Kumar, Sales Officer — allegedly helped open a fake current account on forged documents to siphon off the proceeds of cybercrime.
Following a complaint from the couple over the ‘digital arrest’ on November 4 last year, the IFSO unit registered a case. To instil fear and ensure compliance, the couple was placed under round-the-clock WhatsApp video surveillance and were instructed not to step out of their house or contact anyone. “The accused intimidated them by creating a fake CBI office setup and deploying an individual posing as a lawyer to put psychologically pressure,” a police officer said.
Under sustained threat and coercion, the complainant was allegedly forced to prematurely close his fixed deposits, transfer his entire life savings, and even avail a gold loan, based on the false assurance that the money would be returned after verification.
A team led by Sub-Inspector Munna was constituted under the supervision of ACP Manoj Kumar. The team obtained and analysed details of the bank accounts involved in the fraud.
Following exhaustive analysis of digital footprints and technical surveillance, one of the accused was traced as Pradeep Kumar from Hisar in Haryana, said officers. Technical analysis revealed the use of multiple mobile handsets and the involvement of other accused. Subsequently, Namandeep Malik was also arrested.
On the basis of further investigation, Shashikant Pattanayak was arrested from Bhubaneswar in Odisha. He allegedly operated the beneficiary bank accounts, facilitated fraudulent GST registration, and layered the defrauded funds into multiple accounts. Subsequently, both Yes Bank officials were arrested.
“Further investigation is actively underway to identify additional conspirators, unravel the complete money trail, and examine the role of other facilitators involved in the racket,” DCP Kumar said.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
