SSP Srinagar told a media conference that a senior citizen lodged a formal complaint with the local cyber crime prevention cell, saying that he had been defrauded by cyber criminals, who posed as officials of the CBI and the TRAI.

“The fraudsters accused the victim of being involved in a fabricated money laundering case amounting to Rs 6.8 crores. To intimidate him, they issued fake arrest warrants and penalties declaring the conversations a national secret and instructing the victim to lock his house and avoid any communication with others,” he said.

SSP Srinagar added that under pressure, the victim prematurely closed his fixed deposits and transferred Rs 21 lakh to a fraudulent HDFC Bank account, who assured him that the funds would be refunded within hours.

“FIR number 26/2024 was registered and detailed investigation using advanced technical tools was started. Teams were dispatched to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab, leading to the arrest of Gaurav Kumar from Shamli (UP), Gurpreet Singh from Patiala (Punjab), and Ujjawal Chauhan, also from Patiala,” the SSP said.

He said during the operation, the police seized four mobile phones, a MacBook, 13 SIM cards, 24 debit cards, 20 chequebooks, 10 passbooks, and other incriminating materials. An amount of Rs 4.13 lakh has already been released back to the complainant’s account.

SSP Srinagar said that further investigations are ongoing to uncover other conspirators and dismantle the larger network behind this scam.

The police have issued a public advisory urging citizens to exercise caution while sharing sensitive financial information and warned against falling prey to such schemes.

“Legitimate government agencies will never demand payments, conduct investigations over phone calls, or request sensitive data online. Citizens are advised to verify the authenticity of such claims and report suspicious activities immediately to the nearest Cyber Police station or helpline”, the SSP advised.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS