Panaji: A 20-year-old man from Maharashtra, Tejas Narhare, was arrested by Goa police on Monday in connection with an alleged “digital arrest” scam in which a Canacona resident was cheated of Rs 42.6 lakh.The cyber crime police station registered a first information report (FIR) based on a complaint filed by the Canacona resident. Police said Narhare, along with his associates, used mobile numbers and other means to impersonate officials of the department of telecommunications and officers of the Delhi and Mumbai crime branches.According to police, the accused threatened the complainant by falsely claiming that he was involved in a criminal case in which his Aadhaar card had been misused for alleged criminal activities involving officials of an airline. The accused then subjected him to a so-called “digital arrest” and coerced him into settling the fabricated case by transferring a total of Rs 42.6 lakh.Following an in-depth technical and financial investigation, police traced the suspect to Nanded in Maharashtra. A police team subsequently apprehended and arrested him.During the investigation, police found that Rs 10 lakh had been credited to the accused’s bank account at layer-2 of the money trail. The amount was later withdrawn through a self-cheque, police said.The arrested accused was produced before the court and remanded to police custody. Police said further investigation is in progress to identify the accused’s associates and establish the complete money trail in the case.The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of PI Deepak Pednekar of the cyber crime police station, Goa. Police are also examining the transactions linked to the fraud and gathering further evidence to establish the role of those involved in the alleged scam. Police are verifying financial transactions and digital evidence to determine how the funds were routed and identify other persons involved.
