For the first in 'Digital Arrest' fraud police reached the spot in the state capital where a Dubai-based businessman was put under digital house arrest for 7 hours by cyber criminals posing as police. Before the two accused could extort money from him, cyber police reached directly to the businessman's room forcing the offenders to flee.
The two fraudsters who digitally arrested the businessman through video call were initially stunned to see the real police, then they said, 'This is a CBI action, you don't know us, don't interfere.'
The police told the businessman that there is no such thing as digital arrest. This incident took place with Vivek Oberoi (50), who lives in Arera Colony, Bhopal, on November 9. The cyber police reached his house at 7 pm. Vivek is a businessman in the corporate sector in Dubai.
Additional Director General of Police said this is probably the first time that someone has been put under digital house arrest and the police reached the spot and rescued him. There is no such thing as digital arrest. If this happens, don't panic, inform the police.
Vivek Oberoi (50), who lives in Arera Colony, Bhopal, is in the corporate sector in Dubai.
According to the police, when the team reached Vivek's house, the cyber criminals had put him under digital house arrest. One of them told Vivek that he was Vikram Singh and a sub-inspector in the Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell. The other told him that he was Manish Kalwania, DCP of CBI.
They told Vivek on the phone that wrong things are being done with the SIM cards issued from his Aadhaar card. Fake bank accounts have also been opened in many states.
They made Vivek install the Skype app. They put him under digital house arrest from 1 pm onwards by making video calls on mobile and laptop. By threatening him with arrest, the fraudsters kept asking him for personal information.
When the cyber police team reached the businessman's house at 7 pm and asked for IDs from both of them, they disconnected the Skype video call. After this, the police team told the businessman that all the notices sent to him in the name of TRAI Legal Cell Officer, CBI, Mumbai Cyber Crime Cell in the money laundering case are fake.
The fraudsters had digitally arrested the businessman through video calls on mobile and laptop.
According to the cyber police, Vivek was in the room since 1 pm and did not come out till 6 pm. When the family talked to their relatives about this, they suspected digital house arrest. After this, the information was given to the police.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Mohammad Yusuf Qureshi said when he had received information from Vivek Oberoi's relatives. Both the fraudsters had scared him so much that he was not even moving from his place. When our team reached inside his room, the fraudsters introduced themselves as from the CBI. When asked to show the ID, they disconnected everything.
Businessman Vivek Oberoi said I got a call at 1.30 pm. They said that we are talking to the Telecom Regulatory Authority. Someone has taken a fraudulent SIM using your Aadhaar card. You should complain to Mumbai Cyber Police. Two officers from the cyber department came and got me released from digital arrest.
Digital arrest is the new method of scam, cyber criminals trap people through audio or video calls, artificial intelligence (AI) generated voice or video calls and claim themselves to be police officers, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers or customs officers.
They use many tricks to trap people in their trap. After this, people are asked to talk on video call for interrogation in the name of digital arrest. In most of the cases, cyber thugs create a police station-like setup and sit wearing police uniform, which makes people feel that everything is real.
