Panaji: Over the last three days, six FIRs have been filed of online and digital arrest scams after different citizens across Goa were defrauded. The accused in all cases remain unidentified.Margao-resident Joseph D’Silva received a call recently from an unknown accused who threatened him by falsely stating that two mobile numbers were registered in D’Silva’s name and linked to his Aadhaar details. The accused threatened the complainant of legal action and registration of a criminal case unless he immediately transferred money.Believing the threats to be genuine, the victim under fear and mental pressure, transferred Rs 5 lakh to the bank account provided by the accused.In another case in Shristhal, Canacona, Parag Pagi said that the accused called on his mobile phone and kept the call on hold for 2-3 minute. Soonafter, Pagi received an SMS alert from his bank stating that Rs 95,000 had been debited from his account. Pagi found that an unauthorised UPI transaction had been effected from his SBI account to one Vijay Danane. Canacona police are investigating the case.Pernem-resident Digamber Ramchandra Petkar said that an unidentified accused induced him to fill up a form with his bank details. Posing as an employee of IndusInd Bank, the accused took the bank details from Petkar and later obtained a code from the complainant over a video call. The victim discovered that Rs 4.2 lakh had been withdrawn from his account fraudulently.Cybercrime police station at Ribandar has filed an FIR after yet another victim Kavita Lamani from Agasaim said that an unidentified user of WhatsApp number +923220042188 contacted her online, developed a friendship with her and later told her that a courier parcel containing gold, cash, and other valuable items is being dispatched to Lamani from abroad.Another accused later contacted her impersonating an official of the Indian Embassy at Mumbai airport and told the complainant that the parcel addressed to her had been detained as it allegedly contained illegal gold and cash. The accused demanded a payment of Rs 1.6 lakh from Lamani, who made the transaction fearing action against her.Cybercrime police has also filed another FIR based on the complaint of Mapusa-resident Urvesh Ramkrishna Natekar, 52, who said that a person contacted him and threatened him with injury and executed pressure. Accordingly, the victim transferred Rs 2.7 lakh to the accused.Earlier, an unidentified accused cheated a pensioner of Rs 2 lakh in a digital fraud.Mohan Gangaram Kalangutkar, 60, from Parsem in Pernem, said that on June 15 he received a WhatsApp message and a video call from an unknown person. The caller impersonated an official of SBI Pension Seva and induced the senior citizen to disclose his bank account details, CIF number and branch details. Thereafter, the complainant received an SMS alert that Rs 2 lakh had been debited from his bank account through unauthorised internet banking transactions.
