GUWAHATI: Chennai Police arrested a 38-year-old man named Partha Pratim Bora from Assam on Tuesday, November 19, for orchestrating a “digital arrest” scam that duped several individuals, including a retired government official from Chennai.
ALSO READ: Assam Cabinet Approves ASSAC As State Nodal Agency For Space Technology
The arrest followed a complaint from the retired officer who used to work in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) based in Thiruvanmiyur. On September 3, the victim received a call from someone claiming to be from the Maharashtra Police, alleging an arrest warrant against him related to a money laundering case.
The call was further forwarded to an individual impersonating a senior official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), who demanded personal and banking details under the pretext of verifying his innocence.
The scammers instructed the victim to remain on a WhatsApp video call and warned him not to inform anyone, claiming his phone was under surveillance. The following day, the victim was coerced into liquidating fixed deposits and transferring ₹92 lakh to an account supposedly held by the Reserve Bank of India for "verification."
Investigations from the police revealed that the money had been transferred to an account belonging to Harshi Healthcare Services Pvt Ltd, owned by Bora. The police tracked ₹3.82 crore flowing through the account in eight transactions in a single day. Bora had dispersed the funds into 178 different accounts controlled by his handlers. He was apprehended at once and remanded to judicial custody in Chennai.
This incident comes amid rising reports of cyber fraud linked to Assam. Recently, Punjab Police had dismantled a cyber fraud ring and arrested two individuals, Najrul Ali and Midul Ali, from Kamrup for defrauding a retired government officer of ₹76 lakh through a similar scam.
