The Kashmir Dialogues
Srinagar, Nov 29(TKD): The Cyber Police Kashmir has successfully cracked a ₹21 lakh digital fraud case, leading to the arrest of three individuals and the recovery of ₹4.13 lakh from the accused.
Addressing a press conference, SSP Srinagar revealed that the scam came to light when a senior citizen from Srinagar lodged a complaint about being defrauded by scammers posing as officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“The fraudsters accused the victim of being involved in a fabricated money laundering case amounting to ₹6.8 crores. They intimidated him with fake arrest warrants and penalties, declaring the conversations a ‘national secret’ and instructing the victim to lock his house and avoid communication with others,” the SSP explained, as per news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO). “Under duress, the victim prematurely closed his fixed deposits and transferred ₹21 lakh to a fraudulent HDFC Bank account, believing the funds would be refunded within hours.”
An FIR was registered under number 26/2024, and a detailed investigation was launched using advanced technical tools.
“Teams were dispatched to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab, resulting in the arrests of Gaurav Kumar from Shamli (UP), Gurpreet Singh from Patiala (Punjab), and Ujjawal Chauhan, also from Patiala,” the SSP stated.
During the operation, the police seized:
- 4 mobile phones
- 1 MacBook
- 13 SIM cards
- 24 debit cards
- 20 cheque books
- 10 passbooks
- Other incriminating materials
An amount of ₹4.13 lakh has already been returned to the complainant’s account. Further investigations are underway to uncover other conspirators and dismantle the broader network behind this scam.
In light of this case, the police have issued a public advisory urging citizens to exercise caution when sharing sensitive financial information. The advisory emphasized that 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…(TKD)
M S Nazki
