Hyderabad Cybercrime police arrest two in ‘Digital Arrest’ fraud targeting senior citizen

Hyderabad Cybercrime police arrested two men from Andhra Pradesh for their role in a ‘Digital Arrest’ scam in which a senior citizen was cheated of Rs 59 lakh. The accused allegedly supplied bank accounts and aided fund transfers using fake documents and cryptocurrency.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime police have arrested two key suspects involved in a major ‘Digital Arrest’ cyber fraud case, in which a senior citizen was duped to the tune of Rs 59 lakh by impersonators posing as police and government officials.

The arrested persons have been identified as Surampudi Chandrasekhar (31) and Emandi Venkat Naveen (25), both residents of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

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According to police, the complainant, a retired employee, received WhatsApp calls between December 4 and 6 from fraudsters who falsely accused him of involvement in human trafficking, overseas job fraud and money laundering. “The scammers sent forged arrest warrants through WhatsApp and threatened immediate arrest. Succumbing to pressure, the victim transferred nearly Rs 59 lakh through RTGS from his bank account,” police said.

Investigations further revealed that the fraudsters were running an organised ‘Digital Arrest’ scam, using WhatsApp video calls, fake documents and malicious APK files to gain access to victims’ banking details and SMS services. The cheated money was routed through multiple shell bank accounts, converted into cryptocurrency (USDT) and later withdrawn through cryptocurrency transactions into personal accounts.

Police said the arrested accused acted as account suppliers for the racket, facilitating at least 15 current bank accounts for routing the illegal funds and assisting the prime accused with technical access. They allegedly received proceeds in cryptocurrency, which were later converted into Indian currency.

The two accused are reportedly involved in 65 cyber fraud cases across several states, including Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, involving nearly Rs 8 crore nationwide. In Telangana alone, they are linked to five cases registered in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Sangareddy.

Police have urged citizens not to download unknown APK files or click suspicious links and to report cyber fraud immediately by dialling 1930 or visiting www.cybercrime.gov.in.