Reckong Peo: Kinnaur Police has arrested eight accused from Hyderabad, Bihar, and Gujarat for defrauding a resident of Skiba village of Rs 17.50 lakh by threatening him with a “digital arrest.” The police have also recovered approximately Rs 11.50 lakh from the accused.
According to SP Kinnaur Abhishek Shekhar, the fraud was executed on November 18, 2024, when unidentified individuals impersonating police officers contacted the victim via WhatsApp. They coerced him into transferring Rs 17,50,200 under the pretext of a digital arrest threat. Following the victim’s complaint, an FIR was registered at Police Station Murang on November 20, 2024, under Sections 318 (4), 351 (2), and 61 (2) of the Indian Judicial Code.
To apprehend the culprits, a special team comprising officers from the Kinnaur Cyber Cell and Police Station Murang was formed in December 2024. The investigation revealed that the fraudsters operated from Telangana and Bihar, prompting a police team to be dispatched to these states for further verification.
During the operation, four accused—Ravi Kumar, Sudarshan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Revati—were arrested from Hyderabad. Based on their interrogation, two more suspects, Shindu Kumar Mishra and Anand, were apprehended from Bihar. Further probe into their digital records, including Telegram and WhatsApp communications, led investigators to Gujarat, where the alleged kingpin, Mehul Thakor alias Jimmy, and his associate Jignesh Sahani alias Rock were arrested.
The accused were presented before the court, and police remand has been secured for further investigation. SP Shekhar stated that Kinnaur Police has frozen multiple bank accounts linked to the accused, holding nearly Rs 5 lakh, while an additional Rs 6.40 lakh has been recovered in cash.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused operated a network of mule bank accounts via Telegram and WhatsApp, facilitating fraud through cryptocurrency transactions. Investigators also discovered that the gang had defrauded multiple victims of lakhs of rupees over the past five to six months. The search for other accomplices involved in this cyber scam is ongoing.
