A cyber fraud investigation into the alleged “digital arrest” of a Lucknow couple for 18 days has opened a trail stretching from India to Cambodia, the UAE and China, with WhatsApp and IP data pointing to locations in the three countries, police said on Wednesday.
Investigators are now piecing together the overseas digital trail with six mobile numbers and six bank accounts allegedly used to siphon off ₹42.09 lakh from the 70-year-old retired FCI employee and his wife. Police have so far managed to freeze or place a hold on ₹13.83 lakh of the amount.
The development comes two days after the couple’s ordeal, in which fraudsters allegedly posed as ATS, NIA and CBI officers and threatened to implicate them in the Pulwama terror attack and a money-laundering case.
According to the police, the couple had approached the Cyber Crime police station after being allegedly kept under constant surveillance through WhatsApp video calls and being threatened with arrest. The fraudsters allegedly directed them to transfer money to different bank accounts during the 18-day ordeal.
A case was registered under sections 318(4), 319(2) and 351(4) of the BNS and Section 66D of the IT Act.
“During the investigation, police found that the money allegedly cheated from the couple had been transferred into six bank accounts,” said ADCP, crime, Kiran Yadav. “The cybercrime team immediately contacted the banks concerned and froze the funds,” the ADCP added.
“So far, details of two of the six accounts have been obtained, resulting in ₹13,83,735 being frozen or held, police said. Investigators are working to trace the remaining funds and establish the identities of those operating the accounts,” the ADCP said.
The probe into the digital trail also revealed six mobile numbers allegedly linked to the fraud. These numbers were found to be associated with different states, including Assam, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Further technical analysis of WhatsApp details and IP addresses showed connections to Cambodia, the UAE and China, police said. Investigators are now attempting to establish links between the bank accounts, mobile numbers, IP addresses and other digital evidence to identify the people involved and determine their respective roles.
Yadav warned that there is no legal procedure called “digital arrest”. She said no police officer or investigating agency asks a person to transfer money by threatening arrest through a video call.
Police have appealed to people receiving such calls not to panic or share banking or personal details. Suspected cyber fraud can be reported immediately by calling 1930 or through the national cybercrime reporting portal.
