PANAJI
The Cyber Crime Cell of Goa police cracked a major digital fraud case involving a fake CBI/ED scam and a FedEx scam after extensive investigation in Rajasthan and West Bengal last week.
Two cybercriminals – one Ram Nivas from Rohata-Pali in Rajasthan and Amariti Das from Kolkata, West Bengal – were apprehended in the case wherein the complainants were cheated to the tune of over Rs 21 lakhs and Rs 7.69 lakhs, respectively.
The accused were issued a notice under Section 35 of BNS.
According to SP Cyber Crime Rahul Gupta, the cases date back to May, when the victims, one from Bardez and another from Dabolim, received a WhatsApp and Skype call from a person impersonating officials from FedEx Customer Care and the Mumbai Crime Police.
In the case of the first victim, they falsely informed the complainant that a parcel in her name had been detained and that her credentials were being misused in cases related to money laundering, drug trafficking, and theft.
Under the pretext of financial verification, the fraudsters induced the complainant to transfer Rs 21,15,744 into two different bank accounts, thereby cheating her through impersonation and misuse of computer resources, the police have said.
In the case of the Dabolim complainant, under the pretext of investigating a parcel allegedly containing banned materials in the complainant’s name, they coerced the complainant into transferring Rs 7,69,876.
“The amount was obtained through a personal loan taken out without the complainant’s consent or knowledge by hacking the mobile phone.”
The police have registered offences under Sections 419, 420 read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
Police said that during the course of the investigation, technical surveillance and analysis led them to the accused.
During the investigation, a mobile phone, a bank passbook, and an ATM card used in the commission of the crime were recovered.
Goa Police has launched the “Cyber Surakshit Goem” campaign to increase awareness amongst the public. Festivals and religious places are being used to reach larger gatherings, police said, adding that they are mobilising a team of cyber volunteers for this purpose too.
