Hyderabad cyber crime police arrest three in ₹1.07 crore ‘digital arrest’ fraud
HYDERABAD: The Cyber Crime Police, Hyderabad City arrested three key accused in a ‘digital arrest’ cyber fraud case involving ₹1.07 crore, officials said on Tuesday.
The arrested accused were identified as Gurdeep Singh alias Lucky Narang alias Lucky, 42, Har Preet Singh alias Karan Kowshik alias Viraj, 36, and Kumar Mohit alias Mohit Kowshik, 30, all residents of New Delhi. They were booked in Crime No. 1883/2025 under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act and Sections 111(2)(b), 308(2), 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Victim threatened with arrest, coerced into transfers
According to police, the case was registered on October 16, 2025, following a complaint by a 62-year-old Hyderabad resident. The complainant told police that he received a call from an unknown person who claimed to be from the Mumbai Crime Branch and alleged that his phone number and Aadhaar were linked to illegal activities.
The caller later connected him to another impersonator posing as an investigation officer. The victim was threatened with arrest, damage to his career and family reputation, and was coerced into transferring ₹1,07,00,000 under the pretext of a money laundering probe.
Accounts procured, funds routed to kingpin
Police said the accused formed a gang that procured current bank accounts and credentials, which were used to receive fraud proceeds. The group allegedly called account holders to hotels in Delhi, Jaipur and other cities, offering commissions and accommodation while the frauds were carried out.
Investigators said the stolen money was quickly transferred to the kingpin of the syndicate. In the present case, the Yes Bank account used for the fraud was supplied by Deepak alias Deepak Gahlawat, while Prashant Kumar acted as an account aggregator. Both were arrested earlier in New Delhi and sent to judicial custody.
Mobile phones containing bank account details and credentials were seized from the arrested accused. Police said the trio was also involved in several cyber fraud cases reported from Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and other states.
Modus operandi
Police said the gang impersonated officials from law enforcement and judicial bodies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, Customs and Mumbai police. Victims were falsely accused of involvement in money laundering, narcotics or terrorism cases, threatened with non-bailable warrants, and instructed to liquidate assets. The fraudsters claimed the money was being deposited with the Supreme Court as proof of innocence and kept victims under constant video-call surveillance.
The case was detected by a team led by inspector K Prasada Rao under the supervision of R G Siva Maruthi, assistant commissioner of police, Cyber Crime Police Station, Hyderabad.
Public advisory
Police urged citizens never to share bank credentials, OTPs, Aadhaar details or personal information over phone calls, and not to transfer money under threats or promises of clearing their names. “No government agency will ever demand money over a phone call,” police said.
Victims of cyber fraud can dial 1930 or report at the national cybercrime portal.
