Hyderabad, April 9 (IANS) Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested a man from Uttar Pradesh who is involved in digital arrest fraud.

Police said that Ranjit Kumar of Ghaziabad is involved in four cases across India, including two cases in Telangana.

The 42-year-old accused, a software employee, had contacted a 72-year-old retired government employee from Hyderabad, claiming to be calling from the Mumbai Airport.

The caller told the victim that one parcel from Mumbai to Iran was received in FedEx International Service on his name and phone number, and it contained narcotic drugs.

The caller asked him to contact the narcotic department to take clearance certificate otherwise, he would be forced to inform police for taking necessary action.

The caller also told the victim that he was connecting him to Mumbai Crime Branch Police. The caller then asked him to be on line to speak with an official from the government of India.

The victim was told that there are bank accounts in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana in his name, and he was asked to give the particulars of his bank account in Hyderabad. Under fear and anxiety, the victim followed the instructions and deposited Rs 19,61,045 into the account number provided.

In another case, the Cyber Crime Unit also arrested an accused involved in online stalking, extortion and blackmail by using fake Instagram ID.

The accused has been identified as H. Akul Singh, 24 years, working as a private employee and residing at Mehdipatnam in Hyderabad.

The accused was blackmailing a 21-year-old housewife from Hyderabad. According to police, the victim received an edited and obscene photograph of herself and her husband via Instagram. She later received a morphed image of her sister.

She began chatting with the Instagram account holder, who claimed to know her personally. The accused then began to blackmail her, threatening to leak the images online and destroy her marriage unless she paid money.

The Cyber Crime police have advised citizens to remain alert. The Fraudsters contact victims through social media platforms like Telegram app, WhatsApp calls, and messages. Scammers pose as representatives of government agencies, such as Telecom Department (TRAI), CBI, CID, ED, Cyber Crime Department etc.

Scammers threaten victims, claiming they are involved in serious offenses, such as human trafficking, money laundering, terrorist activities, narcotics etc. Fraudsters claim that the Reserve Bank of India and Supreme Court authorities have permitted the victim to deposit funds for inspection.

Once the victim transfers the amount, the fraudsters block them, severing all communication.

–IANS

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