Man from Thane district kidnapped, extorted Rs 2.98 lakh; probe on

A businessman from Maharashtras Thane district was allegedly kidnapped and forced to pay Rs 298 lakh by four persons in what police suspect to be a case of business rivalry an official said on Friday reported news agency PTIThe complainant a resident of the Ulhasnagar area told the police that one of the accused persons called him for a meeting on October 13 but took him to a secluded room near a quarry in Mharal village by pressing an object resembling a pistol against his backOnce inside the room all four accused forced him to disclose his GPay pin and transferred money from his account They also made the complainant initiate transactions from his wifes account extorting a total of Rs 298500 the police said reported PTIBased on the businessmans complaint a case has been registered against the accused persons under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for kidnapping and extortion said an official from Ulhasnagar police station reported PTIPreliminary investigation indicates that the motive behind the crime appears to be linked to business rivalry and monetary disputes One of the accused identified as Naresh Jaganmal Chabria alias Naresh Pakistani has a history of involvement in local disputes he said reported PTIMumbai businessman loses Rs 58 crore in digital arrest fraudIn another case a 72yearold businessman in Mumbai has allegedly been duped of a staggering Rs 58 crore in a digital arrest scam orchestrated by fraudsters posing as ED and CBI officials police said on Thursday reported PTIThe Rs 58 crore loss could be one of the largest reported in a digital arrest cyber fraud case involving an individual an official said reported PTIThe Maharashtra cyber department which is conducting a probe into the case has arrested three persons he saidDigital arrest is a growing form of cyber crime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials or personnel of government agencies and intimidate victims through audiovideo calls They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on them to pay moneyIn the latest case the fraudsters posing as personnel of the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation contacted the businessmen between August 19 to October 8 and claimed his name had cropped up in a case of money laundering reported PTIThe businessman got scared as they placed him and his wife under digital arrest after making a video call to him the official saidThe fraudsters asked him to deposit money into the bank accounts specified by themThe victim transferred Rs 58 crore through RTGS in multiple bank accounts within a span of about two months the official said reported PTIHe later realised that he had been cheated and approached the cyber police with a complaintThe cyber sleuths registered a case last week under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology ActDuring the probe the police analysed the financial trail and found that the money was transferred to at least 18 bank accounts the official said reported PTIThey immediately approached the authorities to freeze the amounts transferred to multiple bank accounts he saidThe police have identified three persons involved in the fraud Abdul Khulli 47 from suburban Malad Arjun Kadvasara 55 and his brother Jetharam 35 from Mumbai Central and arrested them the official said reported PTIWith inputs from PTI