Latur: Six people have been arrested for allegedly defrauding a 66-year-old retired Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employee of ₹28.51 lakh in a digital arrest scam involving impersonation of law enforcement and investigation agencies.
The arrests followed an investigation by Latur cyber police, who traced the accused through technical evidence and financial transactions linked to the fraud. The suspects were apprehended from Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Gurugram.
According to police, the victim was contacted by fraudsters posing as officials from the police, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). They allegedly accused him of being connected to a ₹122-crore money laundering operation and having links with terrorists.
To intensify the pressure, the scammers threatened him with imprisonment and public humiliation. They also presented a forged ED communication to make the allegations appear credible.
The accused reportedly claimed that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) required him to move funds from his bank accounts for verification. Believing the claims, the victim transferred a total of ₹28,51,999 into multiple bank accounts.
Following his complaint, Latur cyber police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Investigators subsequently identified and arrested six suspects.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Amit Shivnarayan Dubey (40), Anurag Ganeshdatta Mishra (27), Shivam Madhavsingh Thakur (24), Ankit Mansingh Yadav (32), Kunalsingh Narendrasingh Rawat (30) and Shivkumar Narendrasingh (30).
The accused were presented before a court in Latur on November 1 and remanded to police custody until November 6. Police said all six were already in Bhopal Police custody in connection with another case.
