The Cyber Crime Police Station, Goa, has arrested a 23-year-old man in a high-profile cyber fraud case involving ₹97 lakh, following a complaint by a resident of Tiswadi. The accused reportedly posed as an official from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out the scam.
According to police, the fraudster falsely claimed that the complainant’s SIM card was linked to a human trafficking racket. Exploiting this fear, he placed the woman under a so-called “digital arrest” and coerced her into transferring ₹97 lakh via RTGS in two instalments — ₹51 lakh and ₹46 lakh — to “settle” the fabricated charges.
During interrogation, the accused — identified as Shaikh — was found to have received ₹51 lakh of the defrauded amount into his bank account. Authorities also discovered that the same account is linked to a series of fraudulent transactions across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Goa.
Police revealed that the total value of scams connected to the account stands at ₹1.2 crore. Investigations are ongoing, with further arrests likely as the cyber crime network’s full scope comes to light.