Kolkata police arrested Chirag Kapoor, the alleged mastermind behind a nationwide digital arrest scam, in Bengaluru. Kapoor is believed to be linked to 930 cases of this type of fraud, where criminals as impersonate law enforcement officials on video calls to threaten victims with arrest on fabricated charges. Then they force individuals into transferring large sums of money.
In one case, Debashree Dutta was conned out of Rs 47 lakh after being falsely accused of using her credentials to send a parcel containing illegal drugs. Fearing legal action, Dutta made multiple payments to various accounts as directed by the scammers.
Following the money trail of Rs 7.4 lakh that Dutta deposited into an account at Jana Small Finance Bank, police conducted extensive raids in the Anandapur, Patuli, and Narendrapur areas of Kolkata. These raids resulted in the arrest of eight people and the dismantling of a makeshift office used to create fake accounts. Authorities seized numerous items, including passbooks, mobile phones, debit cards, SIM cards, and seals. This office was reportedly used to collect accounts and alter email IDs, passwords, and other credentials, which were then sold to fraudsters across India.
Chirag Kapoor was identified as the ringleader of the operation. Sources indicate that he orchestrated the scam through his agents, keeping himself distanced to avoid detection. Further investigation led to the arrest of one of Kapoor's associates in Delhi, who was responsible for distributing the fake accounts.
With Kapoor's arrest, a total of 10 people have been apprehended in connection with the case. A Kolkata police team captured Kapoor in Bengaluru, recovering various devices and documents, including routers, hard drives, a laptop, mobile phones, SIM cards, PAN cards, chequebooks, a USB drive, and rubber stamps in various company names.
Kapoor will be presented before the jurisdictional court, and transit custody to Kolkata has been sought.
