Last Updated:January 10, 2025, 00:26 IST
According to sources, Chirag Kapoor has been linked to 930 digital arrest fraud cases
Digital arrest scams involve fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officials on video calls, threatening victims with arrest over fake charges, and compelling them to transfer large sums of money. (Representational image)
Kolkata police say they have arrested Chirag Kapoor, one of the masterminds of a nationwide digital arrest scam, from Bengaluru. According to sources, Kapoor has been linked to 930 digital arrest fraud cases.
Digital arrest scams involve fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officials on video calls, threatening victims with arrest over fake charges, and compelling them to transfer large sums of money.
The complainant, Debashree Dutta (also known as Debashi Dutta), was duped of Rs 47 lakh after being threatened with legal action. She was told that her documents and credentials were used to send a parcel that contained contraband drugs, and the case involved money laundering. Fearful, she made payments to different accounts as instructed by the cybercriminals.
Following a money trail of Rs 7,40,000 that the complainant had deposited into an account of Jana Small Finance Bank (A/C holder: Uma Burney, proprietor of Brain Burst Robotics) on 12.06.24, exhaustive raids were conducted on 28.09.24 in the Anandapur, Patuli, and Narendrapur areas. Altogether, eight people were arrested, and a makeshift office dealing in fake accounts was busted. 104 passbooks/chequebooks, 61 mobile phones, 33 debit cards, two QR code machines, 140 SIM cards, 40 seals, and 10 lease agreements were seized. It was later discovered that the office was monitored through CCTV and used for collecting accounts and changing their email IDs, passwords, and other credentials. These were later sold across India to fraudsters.
The name of Chirag Kapoor as the chief operator of this racket came to the fore. He ran this racket through his men and agents, keeping himself distant to evade suspicion and surveillance.
Further investigation led to the arrest of one of his associates in Delhi on 26.10.24, who would take delivery of such fake accounts and sell them.
A total of 10 people have since been arrested in this case.
The principal accused, Chirag Kapoor, had been on the run.
“A Kolkata police team arrested him (Chirag Kapoor alias Chintak Raj, 36, son of Vena Raj alias Kapoor at no. 303, A Block, Apoorva Dew Drops, LBS 4th Block, JP Nagar, 9th Phase, Anjanapura, Bengaluru- 560062) at about 04:30 hrs (09.01.25),” said a source.
Three routers, two hard discs, one laptop, one Beetel landline phone, four mobile sets with SIM cards, five SIM cards, three PAN cards, four chequebooks, one USB, and six rubber stamps in the names of different companies/concerns were recovered.
The arrested accused will be produced before the jurisdictional court, and his transit custody has been sought.
